Stephanie Christian, Contributor

THE DETAILS of the recent cases of violence against innocent children are so horrifying that I hardly want to list them all here. There is, however, one extremely disturbing case and I mention it here for reference. This is the alleged sexual assault of a nine-month-old boy, who subsequently died at the Bustamante Hospital for Children. This is a depraved and evil act and it is unbelievable that an adult human being could engage in such sexually deviant behaviour.

The evil of violence is becoming more and more entrenched in the Jamaican society and violence is expressed in many different ways. We are a nation in crisis and it is obvious to all responsible and caring Jamaicans that this cancer of violence needs urgent attention. We need to attack the problem with both long- and short-term solutions. Although attempts have been made by both Government and some churches to find solutions, most have not been effective and much more needs to be done. There are outcries from many persons and mounting criticisms and accusations are being levelled at the Government and the police force for not fixing this problem that worsens day by day.

Loss of respect for human life

I believe that at the root of the violent crimes being committed in Jamaica, especially violence against innocent children, is our loss of respect for the sanctity of human life. Those among us who do not value other people's lives also place little or no value on their own lives. The reason for writing this article is not to present a 10-point plan that will solve the problem of crime once and for all; rather, my purpose is to make a connection between our lack of respect for the sanctity of human life as expressed in the high incidence of homicide and general violence.

Now, there is the State's expression of what I believe also to be a lack of respect for human life. I refer here to the proposed bill tabled by the minister of health to legalise abortion, a bill that is currently being considered by the Government. The Government has appointed a joint select committee to examine the report submitted by the Abortion Policy Review Advisory Group, led by the late Dr Wynante Patterson.

Abortion: legalising violence

I cannot understand how we do not see that legalising induced abortion is legalising violence. It is a similar form of violence promoted by the State; perhaps the most heinous of them all, as it is violence against a vulnerable, defenceless, innocent human being, who at that moment in time is unable to defend himself/herself. True, it is a tiny life and one that cannot survive outside of the mother's womb. But that nine-month-old baby boy, whom the State recognised as a human being, also could not survive outside of the mother's womb. His mother is currently incarcerated and her child was left in the care of a guardian, who may not have done a good job of protecting that child from harm. Nine months of being born, and this child could still not survive without someone nurturing and caring for him.

What is it that gives the State, or for that matter, a citizen of any country, the right to take an innocent life, at any stage of development? The answer has to be nothing, not if you believe in the sanctity of life, that every human being has the same right to life as we do. If you do believe in the sanctity of life, there is never any justification for the deliberate taking of a life, moreover that of an innocent, helpless human being.

I close by urging every Jamaican to seriously ponder what his or her answer might be to the critical question "is every human life to be cherished and protected"? Until we start to value human life at every stage of development, we will continue to do violence to each other, whether legislated by the State or done illegally.

n Stephanie Christian is family life director, Archdiocesan Family Life Commission, The Family Life Centre, c/o Holy Cross Church.