TT needs your talents ASPIRE, not abortions

THE EDITOR: I wish to commed Sean Douglas for his very well thought out article in  Sunday’s Newsday — “Wanted: Honesty in the Abor-tion Debate”.

To understand the platform of ASPIRE one needs to understand that it is  affiliated to Planned Parent-hood Federation of America (PPFA) which owns the largest chain of “health” clinics in the United States, 25 percent of which  perform surgical abortions on site. PPFA kills over 130,000 babies via  abortion each year, receiving an income in excess of US$400 million  annually. (PPFA Annual Report 1994-1995) The importation of PPFA’s brand of “health care” for the women of  Trinidad  and Tobago, must be conscientiously and vigilantly opposed by our people. The many religious communities in Trini-dad and Tobago, (not only the Roman  Catholic Church) have put their money where their mouth is!! Religious groups provide homes for pregnant mothers right through to  childbirth and after (the Mary Care Centre in Woodbrook is one such).   Homeless, or abandoned babies are welcomed at Christ Child’s Convalescent  Home run by the Carmelite sisters and at Emmanuel’s Cradle. Just in doing research for this letter, I was amazed at the tremendous  amount of voluntary care provided by our religious communities. 

Eternal  Light Community houses battered women and children at Goshen House; Goshen  Boys’ and Amica Girls’ homes care for abandoned boys and girls, and Vision  of Hope Halfway House in La Brea houses homeless, battered women as well as  a learning centre for children. “Street” boys are welcomed at the Marian  House of Living Waters Community. But much, much more needs to be done.  Parenting needs to be looked at, even  among the middle and upper classes, so that our young Trin-bagonians may be  guided in matters of morals and modesty. Young people are idealistic and  could be easily helped to resist negative peer pressure — but they need our  support. “Leaders” in the media, (print, radio and television) must understand their  responsibility in providing much needed information, education and  entertainment especially to the poor who can ill afford the luxury of travel  and private lessons.

Our advertising agencies must pull up their “creative”  socks and use humour, wit and artistic talent rather than bare skin to sell  their products. And, just as important, our religious leaders believing in the power of the  spoken word, must speak out on the many injustices that exist in the  workplaces of TT; morality in public and private affairs; and encourage our  youth to grow in virtue and provide examples of morally upright living. That ASPIRE can come together with all their academic training and God-given  natural intelligence is a good thing — but that they allow themselves to be  sucked in by the PPFA, becoming just another arm of that organisation, is a  waste of their talents. Trinidad and Tobago needs you, needs your talent,  to work for the true good of all our women and children.

Annette Dopwell,
Glencoe