Letter of the Day | Procreation versus self-preservation

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Are we seriously wondering why the birth rate is falling?

Every woman’s bowel should be moved and every man’s pride broken by the graphic content of that recent video of a female nurse being assaulted on the street. When a man can think it is acceptable to manhandle a woman with such animalistic aggression and hostility, deliberately prevailing upon her, using even his body weight as a weapon to crush her head, you know our nation is in trouble.

Where are the days when passers-by would jump in and rescue a person in distress? When did we get to the place where other men stand around and watch as another man brutally attacks a woman who is fighting like hell for her life?

What has become of the moral conscience of our nation? There was a time when even that woman’s profession would earn her some respect on the street. Instead, we are watching the desecration of the nurse’s uniform. Someone charged with saving lives was literally thrown to the ground as she fought to save her own life in the street.

Our women and children are repeatedly victimised by the very gender that should be working to protect them, yet we expect women to be as excited about childbearing as they once were. That was road rage. Now, imagine that rage in the context of a domestic relationship. Then imagine a young child or two in the equation– barely managing to fight for herself, much less the life of an offspring. So, the posture of the woman today to delay childbearing, is not just a strategy for professional or educational aspiration. It is an act of self-preservation as women test the waters before bringing children into the mix. It is easier to exit, easier to move, easier to survive ... alone.

GIRLS LEARN SELF-PRESERVATION

Our nation needs therapy. Our women are broken and our children are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as our men live their anger out loud. Our boys have been negatively influenced, and our girls learn self-preservation. It’s bad enough that women struggle to find men who are educated enough, professionally accomplished enough, financially stable enough. Now, they struggle to find one courteous enough, respectful enough, caring enough, controlled enough, loving enough, man enough to be gentle. Our nation needs therapy. Our nation needs God.

Can our women of childbearing age give birth to our nation’s future if their bodies lie wasted in the streets and bushes? Endangered as they are, women still carry a physiological need to reproduce. It’s an innate part of the desire for fulfilment. So, if they can’t do it safely in their own homeland, they just keep moving. There are too many options to stay in Jamaica, their own home, and be victimised, or disadvantaged.

THE LADY’S ROOM

@TheLadysroom