WITH the current renewed debate about the legalisation of abortion in Jamaica, reggae singer Queen Ifrica believes the matter must be dissected properly before any amendments are made to the Jamaican Constitution.

“We’re talking about a woman aborting a child. It’s a very complex topic. I would just say it’s something that needs to be looked into more carefully, like the real reasons for wanting to push abortion rights. It should be personal to the individual who wants do it or not. All these organisations that are advocating for the legalisation, I would want to see more of their reasoning behind it. There is no straight answer to this,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

Abortion was made illegal in Jamaica under sections 72 and 73 of the 1864 Offences Against the Person Act. Women and their doctors can be charged with felonious assault for procuring or facilitating an abortion, and they can be imprisoned for life if they are found guilty. However, statistics show that approximately 10 per cent of pregnancies in Jamaica are aborted.

Meanwhile, Queen Ifrica — who is a mother of two sons and a daughter — says she never regretted becoming a mother.

“The greatest part of motherhood is realising that you are a mother. A lot of times we have children and [it’s] not because we planned to or because we wanted but [rather, it’s] because it just happened and you just have to adjust,” she said.

Queen Ifrica began her career in 1995 after shining at a local talent contest in her hometown of Montego Bay, St James. This experience eventually led to major stage performances in Jamaica, including Reggae Sumfest as well as a union with Tony Rebel’s Flames Crew in 1998.

With roots firmly secured in the Rastafarian faith, she blossomed as one of the top cultural artistes in reggae with hits like Randy, Jus My Brethren, Below the Waist, and Daddy.

She appeared on stages at major festivals and stage shows around the world (Summer Jam in Germany, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, Bob Marley Festival, Reggae on the River in California, and Reggae Sundance Festival in Holland).

The singer describes the ability to balance a successful music career with parenting as nothing less than magical.

“Being able to balance everything is the beauty of motherhood. If women were given the chance to balance more things, we’d have a better society. Just imagine balancing a career with someone on the inside of you; it’s a very technical act. Then seeing them outside of your body and having to mother them…it’s not easy and lots of mothers mothers give up because of that,” Queen Ifrica reasoned.

Naturally, Queen Ifrica’s children all have African names in keeping with her cultural beliefs. Her daughter Tanzania is 21 while the eldest, Imeru Tafari is 28. The last-born, a 10-year-old named Malawi, got his name in an almost supernatural way.

“When I was pregnant with him I was hiding it from everybody, and I travelled to South Africa on invitation of the Government. I was there at the hotel and many people came and this very old lady came and we sat in the lobby and talked. She said, ‘You’re with child. Whatever the gender of the baby is, name them Malawi because I’m a farmer from Malawi’ — and I promised her that I would. I never saw her again but I felt like that was something special — her ability to just look at me and tell that I was pregnant — but I didn’t question it because that would be me underrating her powers as a black woman,” she said.

In the meantime, she had a word of advice for fellow Jamaican entertainers who balance their hectic careers with motherhood.

“As talented people we are very different. I think for us as mothers who are entertainers, it’s tricky for us because our kids are also judged according to our actions. You have to be extra even more as a parent ‘cause you’re being judged from every angle. Be a mother first. Use your maternal instincts and just remember that you’re a mother first,” she said.