Review TT abortion laws

FAMILY PLANNING Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FPATT) chairman Gerry Brooks has called on Government to undertake a comprehensive review of the nation’s abortion laws. Addressing FPATT’s 2004 annual general meeting at the Crowne Plaza Wednesday night, Brooks also said State resources allocated for national sexual and reproductive health services must be on par with those provided for the war against crime. “One of the key pieces of legislation that needs to be reviewed holistically is the one governing abortion. The need for a holistic evaluation of current abortion legislation is imperative. The numbers speak for themselves: Unsafe abortion is the second highest cause of maternal mortality in TT. To address this difficult issue, the country must take a comprehensive and philosophical approach and take into account the timely needs of our growing and changing society.

Regardless of where one stands on the issue of abortion, what is clear is that there is a need for  comprehensive research on a national scale, which could accurately assess the psychological, social and economic impact this delicate issue is having on our country’s development,” he declared. However, Brooks did not view controversial abortion legislation proposed by Advocates for Safe Parenthood: Improving Reproductive Equity (ASPIRE) as the answer to the problem. Noting the recent $2 million public campaign by Government to lobby public support for the Police Reform Bills (which were defeated in Parliament last week), Brooks said while Government’s anti-crime strategy was commendable, it should be expanded beyond the police and judicial processes to be effective.

The FPATT chairman said there was a strong correlation between a breakdown in family life and crime, and this was evident in the fact that many persons between the ages of 14 and 35 were today involved in serious crimes such as murder and kidnapping. Brooks said an infusion of $2 million could be used by FPATT to produce long-term societal impact in the areas of sexual and reproductive health care and in the national fight against HIV/AIDS. He also praised Government’s development of the National Strategic Plan for the Prevention of HIV/AIDS under the auspices of the Office of the Prime Minister. While disclosing that traditional sources of funding for FPATT had declined from $2 million in 1995 to $667, 212, Brooks said FPATT’s strategic plan for 2004-2009 offered much hope for the future. The plan will focus heavily on HIV/AIDS, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, access, abortion and advocacy.