The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party women MPs have called for the resignation of Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn over his contentious proposal for state-sponsored sterilisation of women as an anti-crime initiative.

Mr Lightbourn’s controversial comments were made on the second night of the Free National Movement’s national convention at the Melia Nassau Beach Resort, and have since gone viral on social media with many vilifying the parliamentarian. The FNM immediately distanced the party from the Montagu MP’s proposal, stating that the party did not believe in restricting the reproductive rights of anyone.

Mr Lighbourn has since apologised publicly for his comments.

In a joint statement issued on Friday morning, Yamacraw MP Melanie Griffin, Englerston MP Glenys Hanna-Martin, and Seabreeze MP Hope Strachan branded his remarks as “despicable”.

“We were shocked and disgusted to hear the offensive suggestion of Mr. Richard Lightbourn, MP for Montagu, that the State should cause for Bahamian women to be sterilised after giving birth to two (2) children to prohibit them from having any more children thereafter,” the statement read.

“While these kinds of outrageous comments have come to typify the positionings of Mr Lightbourn, his comments last night show  that he is unfit for public office and he  should immediately apologise to all Bahamian women. In fact, he should tender his resignation from Parliament.”

It continued: “We condemn Mr Lightbourn outrightly on behalf of every Bahamian woman.”

During his convention speech, Mr Lightbourn set out initiatives that he felt could form part of his party’s crime plan if they become the next government. Making his case, he pointed out that children born in unstable family environments were high-risk to become involved in crime.

He furthered that it was necessary to consider “adopting the lead of several countries in the world which result in unwed mother having her tubes tied after having more than two children”. Mr Lightbourn said the result would be less children, essentially reducing the burden of the state in terms of social care, education and employment.

He also suggested that an FNM government would introduce legislation that would enable a court to deduct child support from a father’s pay to be paid directly to the unwed mother of his child.

Shortly following his speech on Thursday night, Mr Lightbourn admitted to The Tribune that it had been a “poor statement”, and sought to clarify his position.

He explained that he had intended to use the position adopted by several countries in a bid to illustrate that the country needed “to develop a position to address the number of children born to teenage women”. On Friday he apologised publicly.

In a statement, Mr Lighbourn said: “I would like to sincerely apologise to the Bahamian public and women in particular for my comments made last night at the Free National Movement convention.

“It was never my intention to offend anyone but to speak to the need for effective parenting and the support for a strong family structure which will go a long way toward solving many of our country’s social ills.

“It is a woman’s right to decide what to do with her body.

“I received immediate and justified criticism for my comments. It was an extremely poor decision on my part.

“My comments in no way shape or form reflect the position of the FNM.”

The FNM’s Torchbearers Youth Association described the comments as “not only careless but insensitive”.

Women candidates of the Democratic National Alliance also released a joint statement to condemn the Montagu MP and called for both him and his party to issue an apology to Bahamian women.

“The idea that sterilising Bahamian women is the answer to classroom overcrowding,  the DNA statement read, “and high unemployment is beyond offensive.

“Rather than attempting to intervene in matters which he clearly knows nothing about, Mr Lightbourn and the FNM should instead be creating the kind of legislation that empowers young Bahamian mothers in a way that allows them to take care of themselves and their children.

It added: “If this is truly the spineless, visionless and misogynistic approach to governance that the FNM is bringing to the table, then they can keep it! Bahamian mother want no part of the FNM’s sexist and anti-feminist mentality.”