In a recent presentation in the people’s Parliament, Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte had an impassioned moment when she spoke to the issue of abortion.

She related that during her mother’s pregnancy there were those who suggested to her that she should abort the child she was carrying. Obviously, and gladly, she did not heed their admonitions. Gladly, because had she done so the nation would not have had the benefit of Minister Malahoo Forte’s service, both as a judge and in Government.

That said, the minister concluded that having understood the experience that her mother endured, abortion is not a matter that is on her agenda or one she would have any interest in advancing. She stated that this is a personal matter. As we all know by now, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. It was necessary for the minister to have stressed that she was not advocating a government position.

I well understand her thinking here and the residual emotional force that no doubt has given power to her conclusion. At any given time, abortion is a vexed subject which generates its fair share of emotions, many on the irrational side. Everyone has a view on the subject, me included. From my debating days at St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) — in which the late, venerable Edith Allwood of nursing fame figured prominently — abortion and capital punishment were hot topics.

As I have got older, I have come to distrust the use of the word abortion in reference to the termination of a pregnancy. I believe that when used it is a pejorative which gives a negative connotation to the subject. Terminating a pregnancy is not wholly a negative thing. For many people, especially in the Church, it conjures up an image of abortion on demand, of people irresponsibly getting pregnant and “throwing” away their precious ones. At least this is the diet that I was fed growing up, and today not much has changed. A woman who “throws” away a baby is still regarded with scorn and derision.

Thus, for me, the use of the term “termination of pregnancy” is much preferred, which abortion actually is. Put this way, it more easily captures the bioethical and medical reasons a woman would wish to terminate a pregnancy. This is not a matter of semantics. There are any number of reasons a woman would want to terminate a pregnancy, prominent among them being the health of the mother or the foetus, pregnancy due to incest or rape, or any other compelling reason.

The far-right extremist religious positions do not work here as they tend to insist on no abortion, no matter what. I do not countenance arbitrary termination of a pregnancy — terminating for the sake of terminating, not once but repeatedly, without a sense of responsibility for one’s actions.

Furthermore, I believe that a woman should have sovereignty over her own body and that in consultation with a loving partner a decision can be arrived at. Sovereignty does not mean that she ought not to consult with others she trusts for advice in this most solemn matter. A wise woman would do so. The Church and the politician should not be a party to this decision, the former only insofar as a member would wish for clarification on the moral import of the decision. I have counselled members in this regard.

So, having stated my own thinking in a nutshell, I return to the minister. I consider it unfortunate that apparently due to her mother’s experience and the pain it obviously caused her, and probably still does, Minister Malahoo Forte does not have this matter on her agenda. It is unfortunate because the minister is in a position of power to make laws that can have profound effects on people’s lives. As such, she does not have the luxury of setting aside any matter in which she feels personally vested because of a history of understandable pain she might still be nursing.

It is a matter of principle, in terms of her relationship with the people of the country to whom she is answerable. She has been the country’s Attorney General and now holds the very profound Ministry of Legal and Constitutional Affairs. She should have a lot to say about the matter.

I am sure she well understands that to maintain the integrity of her position as a minister she should demonstrate impartiality in the conduct of the affairs of her ministry by recusing herself from any discussion or decision on the matter if she feels uncomfortable that her best judgement would be compromised in any such decision.

This I believe she would do. I believe the more important principle here is that one’s personal pain and suffering must not be denied to anyone. But when you are a policymaker, as is Minister Malahoo Forte, matters of public import should not be held hostage to any personal pain, however eminent.

Women are crying out for a direction from their Government on this matter. It will be of great consequence to them that a leading minister in Government would not place it as a priority because of her own personal feelings on the matter. I feel the force of the residual emotions that still seem to govern her thinking, but she has to be dispassionate or know to recuse herself if and when the time comes.

Tone down the rhetoric against the Integrity Commission

There is a great deal to be said about the present iteration of the Integrity Commission (IC) and its obvious collision course with the Government that will deserve greater treatment. But it is sufficient to say at this juncture that I get a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach — and I know it is not because I ate too many mangoes — whenever I hear politicians on both sides of the aisle fulminating against an accountability body that should hold them in check. The invective rhetoric from both sides is very disconcerting.

The IC is not without blame, having made some serious mistakes recently that are still to be remedied. But the people of Jamaica must be dispassionate in this moment and not allow vile rhetoric to undo or undermine the reasons we have such a commission. We must not allow hard-won gains to fight corruption to be dismantled by the very architects of the nation’s pain, as far as corruption is concerned.

They would be well advised to tone down the rhetoric. It does not sound good.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; The Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.