And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness...
Posted on 06/26/2009 1:18:29 PM PDT by wagglebee
PORT OF SPAIN, June 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The government of the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago has made a strong statement in favor of maintaining the role of traditional marriage in the country's cultural and social fabric, and said it will not relax its restrictions on abortion.
In the latest draft of the "National Policy on Gender and Development of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago," which was approved by the Cabinet yesterday, the government affirms that it is opposed to same-sex relationships and will not endorse same-sex "marriage," and has rejected a proposal to re-define "gender" to include homosexuals.
Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, Marlene McDonald, said in a news conference following the tabling of the document, "This document is very clear. We are not dealing with any issues relating to termination of pregnancy, same-sex unions, homosexuality, or sexual orientation. The Government's position is very clear also. The policy is that we do not support abortion. We are very clear on that."
The original draft of the National Policy on Gender and Development, which was commissioned by the government and prepared by the Centre for Gender and Development Studies at the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) in 2002, was intended to provide guidance to governmental and civil society agencies in dealing with gender and development issues, and in responding to national, regional and international obligations.
However, the draft policy was met with criticism by pro-life and pro-family groups who pointed out that the original document promoted the legalization of abortion and could open the door to same-sex "marriages."
The Emmanuel Community, a Roman Catholic church group that led opposition to the draft's original form and intent, said the document was attempting to "undermine the fabric of our society."
Fr. George Pritchett, head of the Emmanuel Community, said that those who promoted removing restrictions on abortion would first seek to have abortion legalized in cases of rape and incest, and then slowly extend the range of legitimate reasons until it was completely legal.
Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who made it clear that the draft policy was not supported by his administration, insisted that the original document be reviewed and edited to reflect the moral and ethical standards of the country's citizens.
Trinidad and Tobago NewsDay has quoted Prime Minister Manning saying, "A man is a man; a woman is a woman. And whenever the twain meet it is in special circumstances," when in 2006 he rejected a call to re-define "gender" to include homosexuals.
Minister McDonald said this latest draft, yesterday accepted by Cabinet, would soon be presented to Parliament as a green paper, where she anticipates that there will be much interest in this policy's development process. She also said that the government welcomes public comment.
To contact the office of Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister, Mr. Patrick Manning, go to http://opm.gov.tt/opm/feedback/default.asp
Read related LSN articles:
Activists Pushing Trinidad and Tobago to Legalize Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/aug/04081907.html
We should vacation there (unless Crap and Tax) bill suck$ u$ dry) and let them know why we choose to spend our tourism $$ in their little islands.
Heading out to travelocity.com as we speak.
I just read that they don’t even allow homosexuals to come as tourists.
Rule Number 1: No Pooftahs!
Lol. What are you trying to say?
That it’s nice to know there are still places to go on vacation and not have to worry about showing up in the middle of fag week.
I fully expect some “meddling” very soon from the Obama administration.
I’m with you. It’s just after I posted that I was in the process of booking a trip you posted they don’t even let homos come as tourists. Just messing with you, though.
What are the chances that SC Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was thinking of Trinidad & Tobago when she was quoted as saying that the US courts should consider international law(s)? /sarc
I am going in July. It is a great place to visit. I have traveled all over the world and I have yet to find more beautiful beaches than the ones in Tobago. US $ are more than welcome. The exchange is 6$TT to 1$US. Food and logding are cheap. I invite my Freeper friends to visit and enjoy.
How expensive are the resorts there compared to say the Bahamas, Barbados, St. Thomas or the Cayman Islands?
Had a good college friend from there and was able to spend a couple of hours at the airport in 1967. Sorry not to have returned again. Hope you kept your accent and brought your steel drum.
Welcome to FreeRepublic.
I was there for a friend’s wedding in 1988. I was there for three weeks in San Fernando, the biggest ciity in the southern part of trinidad. I also was in Debe(a city right out of India)and the beach area of los Cuevas in the north. For a small country they had a relatively high standard of living.
They are seven miles apart across the Gulf of Pareus. Hugo would have a fight on his hands.
OHBOTNOT - funniest name here! < :D
Sounds like the blessings of being a Christian nation
will pass from the US and move to countries like this.
I’ll talk to my wife about our moving there someday.
Good point. How can we have a beautiful, Christian
nation blessed, by God’s very hand, at our doorstep.
It would just be too scandalous.
Remember, the reason the P Diddies of the world hate
Sarah Palin is that walking with the Lord can break
people out of bondage... and thereby ruin the sales
of Hollywood’s Godless products.
And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness...
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