Jamonte East

Communication Studies Expository Essay

Should abortion be legalized in Jamaica?

The issue of legalizing abortion has been in debate for over forty years. Over the years women
have been calling for the anti-abortion laws to be repealed but religious conservatives have been
firm in their stance that abortion is ungodly and morally incorrect thus prolonging the issue at
hand. According to the Section 72 of the Offences Against person Act which was drafted in 1861,
anyone found guilty of having or facilitating an abortion could be sentence to life in prison. In
todays society the Jamaican women have now become adamant that the government get rid of
these ancient laws that interferes with womens control over their bodies and make it unlawful
for them to perform the act of an abortion.
The researcher chose the theme Abortion: The never ending debate and the topic Should
abortion be legalized in Jamaica? The researcher chose this topic personally because his close
friends became pregnant in high school and was considering an illegal abortion and he would
like to know her reason for almost choosing that path. Academically he is studying Sociology
which the study of society and he would like to know if the legalization of abortion would
accepted by Jamaican religious leaders. Socially the researcher would like to know if young
pregnant girls thrown out of schools could have been better off with an abortion. Career wise the
research would like to become a psychologist in the future and this research will give him an
insight if person who partake in illegal abortions are traumatized after the process.
In an article published by the Jamaica Gleaner entitled Jamaicans say no to abortion gleaner
polls shows 69% in favour of retaining law. The Bill Johnsons poll 69% of 1208 Jamaicans
surveyed said the law should not be changed. 22% said make the law easier for a woman to have
an abortion, the other 9% said did not have an opinion.Father Richard Ho Lung, a Roman
Catholic priest states that he is extremely heartened that at least seven out of ten Jamaicans are
against changing the countrys abortion laws. He stated that he is completely against abortion
and he thinks will lead to a death culture which is beginning to erode places like Europe. He also
stated that Jamaica cannot lose morality and if we legally sanction the killing of innocent babies
from in the womb, then we are heading down an evil path. The article further stated Father Ho
Lung has been fighting against the legalisation abortion from 2005 after missionary brothers
found aborted babies thrown in a dumpster.
On the other hand in the article published by the Jamaica Observer entitled Abortion, lets get
rid of these ancient laws written by Dr Dayton Campbell states that the World Health
Organization estimates that over 22,000 abortions are performed in Jamaica each year. He also
stated some of the complications arising from unsafe abortion. He urged his readers to think
about these two question Does the illegality of abortion prevent its practice. And Is pregnancy
only unwanted because the woman has been sexually unwanted? he then answered both
questions by saying no. Dr Campbell further stated that the current law frustrates thousands of

Jamaican women especially the poor who are in need of abortion services. He then referred to a
survey which stated that the majority agreed with abortion under special circumstances.
In evaluating my sources, all of the sources in my estimationare reliable and authorized to give
information, with some sources having experience on the topic or intellectual knowledge based
on research statistics. The first source The Jamaica Gleaner is the number one leading newspaper
in Jamaica. It has over 180 years of producing accurate and current information. Its popularity
has made it a household name as well as international recognition. Information is well researched
before publication because of its references. The author Dr Michael Abrahams graduated from
the Faculty of Medicine at the University of The West Indies in 1989. He completed the DM
Doctor of Medicine Degree in 1997. Dr. Abrahams became a member of The Royal College of
Obstetricians&Gynecologists in 1997. He also became a Fellow of The American College of
Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1997.
The second source is the Jamaica Observer although it is the second tier newspaper in Jamaica
the observer has become a household name in newspaper industry. It has been producing reliable
information for over 40 years. The author Dr. Dayton Campbell is a medical practitioner and the
Member of Parliament for North West St. Ann. He is known for his reliable and accurate
information.
The problem I faced in doing this research paper was procrastinating and finding credible
opposing arguments on the topic. In my conclusion Id like to leave the words of Youth and
Culture Minister, Lisa Hanna in your thoughts Its time the decision that the decision is made to
remove the veto power that interferes with womens control over their bodies