I am a Jamaican who lives in the United States and I read The Gleaner everyday. I do not agree with abortion. Abortion is taking the life of an innocent child. It is a sin because one of the commandments God gave in the Bible is "Thou shalt not kill". If females cannot face the consequences of getting pregnant, then they should abstain from sex.

If a situation occurs where a female was raped, and as a result, she got pregnant, I still don't believe that's justifiable enough to commit the act of abortion. That female should not be given a choice of abortion. She should be encouraged to carry the child and, at birth, she can give the child up for adoption.

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nurselatoyajones@hotmail.com

I think that women should have free will. Everyone has the right to choose, so why is the choice of whether or not a woman wants to have a child any exception?

Maintaining abortions as illegal is not going to prevent them from taking place, so why not formalise it and regulate it, thus making it safer for those who choose to utilise the option?

You will not find more people performing abortions if it is legal, because not everyone is in agreement with it. What you will find, however, is that the actual number of abortions that take place illegally will decrease. What people need to realise is that making abortions legal is not forcing a woman to perform the act, it is merely giving those who are not adverse to it a legal alternative to unwanted pregnancy.

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T.H.

I believe that abortion should be made legal for women who wish to do so. This is so vital for poorer countries like Jamaica. A young girl is raped in Jamaica on a daily basis. Making abortion legal, women will have easy access to information on how to abort a rapist's child and fewer women would die from butchered abortions.

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Monica Murray

Los Angeles, California

I think abortion should be legal because, if not, then there are going to be a lot of 'back-door' abortions which are going to lead to more deaths, and I think the woman has the right to choose what she wants to do.

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bust40@hotmail.com

I have read the number of arguments for and against abortion. The Church, which is a religious entity, will always and should always take the stance that they have. The reason is that they think with their hearts and not on the reality of the issues. Why don't they support the leaders of the country in making Jamaica better for all?

Frankly, the persons who are in opposition are primarily of a Christian belief and I don't expect any other view from them. The premise is that life is precious but how many will adopt a child of an unwanted pregnancy or a child with genetic abnormalities? I have seen young girls, 13 years old, coming to hospital to have babies; they are not ready for this task, so let's not ask the Church to compromise their beliefs.

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Vincent Riley

Why the hypocrisy! All these countries debate the right of women to have abortions when simple things can cause abortion. Ask any old lady in Jamaica and she may tell you which bush to boil.

Women have been boiling 'bun pan' from the days of slavery and the government of each country encourages this practice by sending women underground. I taught for 22 years in Jamaica and I can name students who had to have abortions to continue their education.

Adults pretend teenagers will abstain, they get pregnant and pretend not to be pregnant. Life is just one pretence. Legal or illegal,women are not going to stop. They may die trying.

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Denise Hylton-Leetz

Milwaukee,Wisconsin

I agree with KoolBlacks from Kingston, who poses a question that probes the mind of pro-abortionists; 'what if your mother had aborted you?'.

The Bible says in the book of Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."

Quite clearly, from a biblical point of view, life does not start after birth or even at the point of the sperm penetrating the egg. The Bible clearly states that, even before we are formed in the belly, God knew us. It would follow logically that it is effectively murder to abort a child.

I am, etc.,