Ho lung

ROMAN CATHOLIC priest Father Richard Ho Lung says Jamaica should resist the temptation to accept "blood money" from European Union and United States agencies in exchange for legalising abortion.

In a no-holds-barred presentation to the abortion committee in Parliament yesterday, Father Ho Lung described abortion as a barbaric and evil act. He charged that if Jamaica moved to legalise abortion, it would join those societies which are "heartless" and "foolish".

"There is blood money from the European Union and post-modern USA. If you want our millions and billions of dollars, you must agree to legalise abortion. If you want our wealth, men must be able to be gay and women must be able to be gay. Without that, you get no money," Father Ho Lung said.

Notion rejected

He rejected the notion of promising funding to Jamaica when the money was tied to whether Jamaica accepted abortion "as part of its programme".

The priest argued that it was ironic that the European Union had expressed objection to the death penalty in Jamaica, while at the same time pushing for the country to pass abortion laws.

Political and economic counsellor at the European Union, Thomas Miller, denied the allegations made by the priest.

He told The Gleaner yesterday that there were no EU-funded programmes with conditionality relating to a particular stance on abortion or rights of homosexuals "either way".

However, he said the EU would not be in a position to comment on funding from non-governmental organisations in Europe.

No Commission money

"There is no official European Commission money which is linked to conditionality in those areas," he insisted.

Attempts were made to get a comment from the United States embassy, but a spokesperson said a response would be made shortly.

Turning to the deteriorating social fabric of the country, Father Ho Lung contended that freedom to seek sex and money had led to "unbounded greed, materialism, selfishness, ... abortion and a false sense of freedom".

"In today's Jamaica, false compassion and false value wear a lot of lipstick, mascara and double-vested suits and neck ties. False compassion cries out, 'Kill them with love. Kill the babies in the womb',' he said.

A tough-talking Father Ho Lung said a nation that murders its children in the womb has no future. He said any country that "casts off its elderly in the streets, as Jamaica has done, will have no past or heritage".

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com