Abortion — doing something to uplift the poor?

THE EDITOR: I smell a rat! There is a foreigner in our midst! I refer to the paid full page ad dated February 22, 2003 in a leading newspaper (in response to an article in the Newsday dated February 21) which stated, “we are keen to engage in public policy reform and dialogue with our national government, and will not be provoked into a pointless debate with a (foreign anti-choice) group that can do nothing to improve poor women’s health in Trinidad and Tobago.”

The author is obviously a foreigner for otherwise he would have known that, in the land of Euphemisms, the above just does not cut it. The author has inadvertently communicated the following to the general public: “we do not want to show that we are afraid of being publicly exposed. (by locals or foreigners), as to having a hidden agenda that works against the national interest and the development of our people. Neither do we have a good excuse to get out of the awkward debate challenge, ...so let’s bluff our way out, by transcribing a letter previously directed to the government and hope to save face with the general-ly ignorant) public who, not being able to properly distinguish what is being said, will unquestioningly accept the arguments there presented.”

But this bluff may prove his undoing. For the public is neither so ignorant nor as undiscerning as the author may trust. The central argument of this foreign author and the movement he promotes, is construed in a formula expressing concern for “the injustices suffered by “poor women” with unwanted pregnancies and the welfare of their families.” But it has always begged the question: Who are these (faceless) “poor women” that are suffering, oh so incommensurately all these injustices? Unless of course the author (and his movement) is suggesting that what is unwanted is the injustice of becoming pregnant when one is a poor woman.

This foreigner and his group even have the gall to enter our country, segregate our citizenry into classes and then put a price on individuals by stating boldly, and in bold, that it is not convenient for our government to spend TT$3,000 on our needy women. And then turn around and say: “We will not be provoked into a pointless debate with a (foreign anti-choice) group...” The plot thickens when, behind all this talk of concern for the poor, an answer begins to emerge to the hitherto unanswered question. “What has this foreign author and his group done for the poor?” Having financed a paid full-page ad in the local newspapers, this foreign author and his group have shown to the nation that they have considerable resources at their disposal which are available at the drop of a hat, from one day to the next.

In so doing, they have effectively stated the following, unequivocally, to the nation:
“Even though we have considerable resources at our disposal, and even though we have and will continue to do nothing for poor women, we are keen (to pressure) the government into legalising abortion, and then there will be fewer poor to contend with and then... we will continue to do nothing for the poor.” Might I suggest to those Trinis who have been taken by this foreign author and his pressure group to disassociate themselves from such treachery, before they become implicated in the hidden agenda of this group (when it becomes known), which might lead indirectly to the destabilisation of our country and our government. Might I also encourage Trinis who remain steadfast, despite the propaganda machine of these foreigners, to prepare themselves for battle uniting their voices to sound the battle cry: “Rotted, dread,...do somet’in ‘ta’ uplif’ de poor, rather than annihilate dem before dey born.”

GERARD POUNDER
Port-of-Spain