I read with interest the letter written by Lamar Grant, the policy and advocacy manager for Transwave Jamaica, in defence of the perceived right for a woman to terminate the life of an unborn baby in her womb.

The letter, titled ‘Accessing safe abortions is a fundamental human right’ and published on June 12 in the Jamaica Observer, came on the heels of Minister Marlene Malahoo Forte’s statement of support for unborn children as her own mother was encouraged to abort her “at every stage of pregnancy”.

This letter was interesting for four reasons:

1) Disregard for the people

The letter showed a complete disregard for the views of the Jamaican people, as the RJR Gleaner-Don Anderson Poll last year showed that 65 per cent of Jamaicans believe abortion should remain illegal. The vast majority of Jamaicans agree with Minister Malahoo Forte. I believe it is most appropriate for our elected officials to hold the same position as the majority of Jamaicans. Certainly, the more problematic situation is when elected officials hold personal positions that are against the majority of Jamaicans. I encourage the minister to be unshaken by the fake outrage. The people are clearly with her.

2) Disregard for common sense

It is interesting that a policy officer from a trans organisation would seek to use his or her organisation’s platform to support abortion. It pulls the mind to ponder the link between transgenderism and abortion. Both involve the destruction of healthy body parts, generally fly in the face of religion, and involve ignoring scientific reality.

Those who advocate for abortion tend to say the foetus is just a clump of cells or have some other false description that dehumanises the baby. Those who advocate for trans laws tend to believe that a female can just change her name to a male-sounding name and with or without surgical means become a man, but may still get pregnant. As such, they believe men can get pregnant and will need abortions. Laws should not be made based on delusional ideas; those rabbit holes go deep.

3) Disregard for women

Grant highlights the link made in his/her mind between abortion and gender equality: “Safe abortions [are] an essential component of gender equality.” This represents the clearest articulation in the public space that what LGBT advocates mean when they say gender equality and gender-based violence is not not the same as what the average Jamaican means.

Currently, neither males nor females may be killed legally in the womb in Jamaica. This is not the case for the United Kingdom, where sex-selective abortion is common.

4) Disregard for life

The fourth and final point of interest lies in the phrasing of abortion as being safe. Can a medical procedure that when successful kills one person 100 per cent of the time and sometimes two people be safe? Not at all! Abortion by definition cannot be safe. It always kills the unborn child and may kill or harm the mother.

The vision that pro-abortion trans activists have for Jamaica is diametrically opposed to everyday Jamaicans, and I am grateful that it is also diametrically opposed to the vision of Minister Malahoo Forte.

I wish more leaders would uphold the words of our national anthem: “Strengthen us the weak to cherish” our unborn Jamaican children, the most vulnerable of all.

Dr Daniel Thomas is president of Love March Movement. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or danielthomaschristian@yahoo.com.