Lawyer blasts PM on gender policy plan

ATTORNEY-AT-law Lynette Seeberan-Suite has criticised Prime Minister Patrick Manning and the Government for their refusal to hold discussions about the National Draft on Gender and Action Policy plan, particularly on the issue of abortion. Seeberan-Suite said that Manning appeared to have adopted the opinions which some religious groups have taken on the issue and therefore was not open to an examination of new policies. Seeberan-Suite said, “Religious denominations are entitled to their view, but when government succumbs to them and when women are killing themselves then it becomes problematic.”

She was speaking on Saturday at a women’s seminar to members of  the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers Trade Union (ATS&GWTU) and CAFRA (Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action) at Rienzi Complex, Couva. Seeberan-Suite, of ASPIRE (Advocates for Safe Parenthood Improving Reproductive Equity) sought support from the ATS&GWTU in calling on the Government to hold discussions on  the 140-page document with an aim to making recommendations to benefit society. Saying that her belief was that abortion was more of an ethical rather than a moral issue, Seeberan-Suite explained that women who have abortions sometimes are not able to deal with a pregnancy because she was a victim of rape or incest, or had a malformed foetus.

The attorney-at-law said research by ASPIRE revealed that at least 5,000 women per year were hospitalised at major health institutions because of complications experienced as a result of “back street” abortions or ingestion of medication, while at least ten die from related complications. The advantages of reviewing the current law, Seeberan-Suite said, might see a lowering  of the current rate of abortions. In the legislation proposed by ASPIRE, she said, the group advocates that abortions should be done in the early stages of pregnancy, performed by trained personnel under sterile conditions, and that women should have had pre-and post-counselling on what was involved.

“If you have these areas regulated, we can break the cycle of repeat abortions and women injuring themselves,” said Seeberan-Suite. The attorney-at-law added that although there was already legislation against abortion, there is hardly any prosecution against it. She said that law did not prevent unsafe abortions, but other factors such as a lack of money, guidance and information played a vital part. She lamented however that the discussions with the Government on the draft gender policy document had broken down because of the views of certain religious groups. “Whenever you bring up the talk of abortions,” Seeberan-Suite said, “you have a knee-jerk reaction from religious groups who are so sure that they are right. They are only seeing things in black and white; they cannot see the predicament of women.”

She sought to clarify that the draft on gender policy did not advocate same-sex marriages. “That is not in the gender policy. All it says is that persons of alternative sexualities have a fundamental human right not to be discriminated against,” she emphasised. Seeberan-Suite criticised Manning, saying that he was allowing the views of some groups to influence his decisions regarding legislation. “Religious groups should not be running the Government. We are a secular society,” she told the seminar. She said she hoped to gather support to have the Government put the draft on the gender policy document on the front-burner for a re-examination of several gender issues in society.