By Carolyn Cooper
Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a specialist on
culture and development.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published in the Jamaica Gleaner, Sunday, July 7, 2019
I doubt very much that Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness would be alarmed by any attempt to put obeah on him. Whether in jest or not! He was raised in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and, I suppose, doesn’t take obeah seriously. He probably assumes that Christians are protected from this outlawed cultural practice by a higher spiritual power. All the same, I’m putting not just obeah, but abortion and sexuality on Andrew Holness. On his agenda, that is.
On Father’s Day, Holness arrogantly declared that he would not be distracted by debates on these seemingly trivial matters. His focus is economic prosperity and the well-being of the Jamaican people. He’s rather naïve. He doesn’t appear to understand that ‘well-being’ and ‘economic prosperity’ are often tied to sexuality, reproductive rights and obeah.
If you live in a society that criminalises your sexuality and denies you the right to full citizenship, your well-being is definitely in jeopardy. If you are denied the freedom to claim reproductive rights, your well-being is definitely in jeopardy. If you are denied the right to claim deep-rooted spiritual powers because obeah is criminalised, your well-being is definitely in jeopardy.
The right to choose
Andrew Holness does not seem to realise that economic prosperity in societies like ours is not dependent on the dictates of politicians, or the result of fair play. Enter the obeah man or woman! Suppose, for example, you are not qualified for a high-paying job in the public or private sector. You could consult an obeah man or woman to ensure that you get the job. If the obeah practitioner is a person of integrity, he or she may say, “Gweh! Go find a work yu qualify fa!”
If the obeah man or woman is in the business of prosperity, s/he will do what is necessary to help you get the job. S/he will use psychology to make you start believing that you really are the best person for the job. The power of positive thinking is undeniable.
But when you underperform and autoclaps ketch yu, not even the best obeah practitioner can save you from being fired eventually. There are limits to the power of obeah. All the same, citizens should not be denied the right to choose how to believe.
LGBTQI Jamaicans shouldn’t have to migrate in order to live in freedom. We sing the national anthem and hypocritically ask “Eternal Father” to “teach us true respect for all”. But do we really want to learn that lesson? And, by the way, it’s time to recognise that the God of the Old Testament is both male and female – if man and woman are actually made in his/her image. Not to mention LGBTQI+!
If a woman wishes to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, she should not be forced to jeopardise her life in order to protect her well-being. She should be able to access proper medical attention. So-called pro-lifers are only concerned about the foetus. They have no regard for the life of the woman who is turned into a criminal because she wishes to safeguard her physical and psychological health.
Parliament failing women
In 2007, the abortion policy review Group recommended that the law criminalising abortion be repealed and replaced with a civil law, the Termination of Pregnancy Act. Nothing was done in more than a decade. MP Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn put the matter back on Parliament’s agenda with her 2018 private member’s Motion No. 61 on Abortion. Cuthbert-Flynn was moved to propose the motion because of the death of a woman in her constituency who was trying to terminate her pregnancy.
The motion was based on several considerations:
1. A 2006 public opinion survey concluded that approximately 60 per cent of Jamaicans support legislation that would allow termination of pregnancy in special circumstances such as incest, danger to the woman’s life, or her physical or mental health.
2. A 2018 poll found that 67 per cent of men and 82 per cent of women believe that the Government has no business deciding if or when a woman terminates pregnancy.
3. A 2014 survey noted that 43 per cent of expectant mothers who were admitted to the Victoria Jubilee Hospital with complications had attempted termination.
4. Health facilities that attend to women suffering complications after attempted termination are, in effect, accessories to a crime.
5. The Government of Jamaica has ratified international treaties that require the reduction of maternal mortality.
Parliament’s Human Resource and Social Development (HRSD) Committee, chaired by Roman Catholic deacon Ronald Thwaites, has invited the public to submit comments on the motion. From January to April 2019, only submissions against abortion under any circumstances were heard, with no postponements. On June 12, hearings began on the mostly pro-choice submissions. Two sittings have been postponed.
Notice of postponement of last Wednesday’s hearing was sent in an abrupt email at 7:05 that morning. No explanation was given.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness is obligated to ensure that the HRSD committee take its responsibility seriously. Even if he thinks abortion, sexuality and obeah are distractions from his main business! He had better take into account the power of female voters. We’re a force that’s much more potent than obeah.
