The Editor, Sir:

When I read the first letter on Tuesday, May 14, titled 'Should parenthood be limited by licence?" I thought that this person must have dropped from Mars, or worse, had severe head trauma as a child. Thus, it is with even greater bewilderment that I read someone claiming to be 'sensible' writing on Wednesday, May 15, in support of that letter with one titled 'Parental licence worthy idea.'

It is my humble opinion that desperate times call for desperate measures, not stupidity. The argument put forward by both writers would be considered laughable if they were not so serious.

Right traits

Are we to believe that because someone does not start out showing all the right traits for proper parenting, they can and will never be good parents? Are we also to believe that only people with money should be allowed to have children? Such crap can only be regurgitated by those suffering from elitism.

This idea by any other name is just down right nonsense. Anyone who can reason like this is, therefore, saying that people are incapable of changing or becoming better and that is clearly not the case for the majority of our citizens who, from our forefathers, have swum against the tide to achieve greatness.

For me to advocate this position would be for me to say that I should not exist and thousands like myself who were born to a single mother who was not working and had little by way of formal education. What she lacked by way of resources she made up for in values. It is those values that today have enabled me to be a manager in one of Jamaica's largest companies, a proud husband and loving father who contributes positively to society. Thus, when we advocate as these two writers do, how do we know who the child is that we are preventing from being born.

Imparting correct values

Proper parenting has nothing to do with so-called 'responsible traits' or simple economics (while that is an important part) but rather about imparting the correct values to our children. That is what we need to advocate for and not seek to let fear paralyse us to the point where we lose our ability to think rationally. The truth is if we allow the fear to overwhelm us we are already lost.

I am, etc,

BRYAN MARRON

Bryan.Marron@gmail .com

Red Hills PO

St Andrew

Via Go-Jamaica