The Editor, Sir:

In response to your editorial of October 24 regarding parental responsibility for children's behaviour, I believe the Government has one of the best opportunities for increased parental responsibility for their children's development; their own continuing education; and other socially uplifting modes of operation via the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

Should children of parents who are not prepared to be retrained to be employable, or to be disciplined in their approach to their parental responsibility receive PATH indefinitely? Should not the continuation of PATH be the incentive for parents to be trained in parenting skills as well as job readiness.

Many of the children on PATH now are of parents who make demands upon the state without any concomitant responsibility for the children that they produce. This is a practice of slavery where the master was responsible for provisions for the children because they were his chattel.

Open door

PATH is an open door for reform of parental skills training and responsibility. The Government should not miss an opportunity to enter therein.

However, if we really want a society where family becomes the strong foundation upon which we build values and attitudes we should reform the Status of Children Act to include parental social and moral responsibility for the children they will produce. We should also give value to marriage as a place to begin a family.

Many foreigners, especially Africans, upon hearing that we do not consider marriage a prerequisite for having children are shocked at how loose we are in our sexual behaviour. They are mortified at how acceptable this lack of sexual responsibility is as part of our procreative human rights. I have even heard it said by one African pastor and another Caribbean pastor that with the attitude we have towards having children outside of wedlock, we can expect our society to deteriorate into total disorder. This is frightening, but who will bell the cat? Which prime minister will insist "not in my Cabinet" for members who have been irresponsible in their sexual behaviour enough to have children outside of wedlock?

Chaotic society

Whether it offends us or not, we are choosing a chaotic society in our insistence on our right to sexually promiscuous and irresponsible behaviour. It is the root of the indisciplined and disorderly conduct in Jamaica.

It is constantly repeated that you cannot legislate morality, but because it is repeated does not make it true. God's Ten Commandments are his legislation of morality. Laws are of no use to society if they have no moral component.

The Status of Children's Act is a law deficient in a moral component that would allow family life to flourish. Instead, it has given licence to too many, by the way it was publicised, to be effective in nation building. It is time that a study is done of the result of the particular act to see the effect it has had on Jamaica in its current form.

I am, etc.,

CONCERNED CITIZEN

St Andrew