All views and claims made in this letter belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Dominica News Online.
Dear Editor
There is almost nothing in Mr. Nassief’s beautiful letter of September 25, 2026, on the Muslim perspective on abortion with which we disagree.
We appreciate the clarity with which he presented the flexibility of his faith’s accommodation of abortion up to four months before a soul is breathed into the body.
We applaud his statement about the role of parents, and we completely agree with the need to invest in efforts to make a better society, more aligned with Islamic tenets and Christian commandments.
We hear his reach for balance in “neither allowing abortion unrestrictedly nor completely opposing this option.”
We disagree with his appetite for Islamic legislation. Instead, we believe that religion and the state should remain separate domains of authority.
We take issue with his sense that a woman should not allow herself to have casual sex.
This perspective places all the blame on women. What about the equally casual and all too often violent role of men?
Let us step outside of the mosque for a moment.
To begin with, less than 10% of Caribbean parents speak with their children about responsible sex. That is monstrous parental negligence.
About 80% of our teenage pregnancies result from relations with men 20 years and older; 55% of them from young men 20-24. Is that burden to be placed on teenage girls?
We have the highest abortion rate in the world. The global average is 35, we are at 59 per 1,000 women 15-49, per year. We can see pregnant girls and women, but we do not see the agents responsible for their impregnation.
In our culture, men are free to impregnate. Why should girls and women not have a matching freedom to terminate?
In what situation is compelling anyone to continue a pregnancy she does not want not cruelty?
Restrictions do not prevent abortions. The Caribbean provides overwhelming evidence of this. We have had severely restrictive criminal laws for more than 150 years, and yet we have the highest abortion rate in the world. Isn’t it time we try something different?
Here are the facts: of the 58 countries with the highest abortion rates in the world, 36 (62%) rely on criminal laws. While of the 46 countries with the lowest abortion rates, 44 (96%) have legal abortion.
We know this is difficult to grasp because it seems counterintuitive, but if we are truly concerned about the sanctity of life, we should decriminalise abortion.
Sincerely,
ASPIRE
ASPIRE is a pro-motherhood, pro-family, pro-choice, non-governmental advocacy group registered in Dominica and five other Caribbean countries. It promotes research and dialogue with civil society and governments to advance fairness and justice in reproductive health.
