THE EDITOR, Sir:

I empathise somewhat with the lady senator, Kamina Johnson-Smith, who wishes that schools not expel students who become pregnant.

I think, however, that this should be done more so by the fathers. If it is so that these young women are made into mothers by young men, these fathers should be identified, taken out of school for at least five years, and placed into a situation of service from which they earn an income to take care of the family he has created.

It should not only be the young women who should be seen and, in instances, be stigmatised. The young men, too, should share in the responsibility for the nurturing of the family. He must understand that actions have consequences.

For older men, I suspect that a law exists to deal with such persons who get schoolgirls under 16 pregnant. These cases should be looked at carefully and dispassionately, allowing each party in the situation to be treated justly and in relation to the part they played in the matter.

It is a social matter that needs to be looked at carefully, and we can begin by letting the young men take responsibility, and not only the young women.

EDWARD JOHNSON

edward.r.johnson@gmail.com