What we can learn from the Zika virus

These two friends got pregnant around the same time as the Zika virus scare of microcephaly erupted in Trinidad and are the happy living testimonies that positive support, informed actions and resilience can overcome fear any day.

In light of the recent newspaper articles related to the Zika virus — which many people have long forgotten, due to the reality that the statistics (except in Brazil, which has pointed to insecticides playing a major role) related to the possibility of young babies developing microcephaly from mothers with Zika is quite negligible — I was at a loss as to what could be the reason for this renewed interest.

It did make me breathe a sigh of relief, however, that our Government did not act in haste to legalise abortion as a solution, as I am sure many of us would have been so saddened to think of the tragedy of the grief and regret of the women who would have made that choice out of fear, and the innocent, perfectly normal babies who would not have been given a chance to live.

These two young friends had the support of each other, they took the necessary precautions to protect their skins as much as possible, and, most importantly, they did not buy into the fear factor.

I hope all of us can learn from their example.

As women, we need to learn to support each other in making the right choices, to use discernment, not emotions, to identify what in fact these right choices are, and to have the courage and will power to act on them.

TONIA GOODING via email