The Editor, Sir:

The extremely high murder rate in our country is a source of great and continued concern to us. The most recent episodes of abuse and murder of children are particularly abhorrent, and the attendant public outcry is understandable.

Gratuitous violence against the youngest and most vulnerable of the society should lead to more than public demonstrations or demands for state action. The devaluation of any form of human life potentially devalues all our lives.

As a nation, we need to articulate, instil and encourage a culture of respect for the sanctity of life from its very beginnings to natural termination, and in all its various expressions. Rather than simply condemning the Government, we need to be introspective.

Starting point

The following questions may be useful as a starting point:

1. What are the sources that inform our attitudes and determine the value we place on human life?

2. Does our way of life in urban communities facilitate the perpetrators of violence, abuse and even murder?

3. How many of us will speak up, or intervene when abuse or violence occurs in our presence or to our certain knowledge?

4. Does cable TV with its liberal offering of smut and violence get priority of place for our children's time and attention?

5. When will our newspapers take a zero-tolerance approach by refusing to publish provocative pictures of the public display of simulated sexual activity?

I am, etc.,

Dr DOREEN BRADY-WEST

drbradywest@hotmail.com

Coalition for the Defence of Life

Ruthven Road, Kingston

Via Go-Jamaica