Sex abuse of girls shocking

THE EDITOR, Sir:

The 20 per cent increase in reported child abuse cases is horrific enough! (Gleaner's front page, Monday, October 29, 2018). What is far worse, to my mind, is that 1,193 children were sexually abused and that, of those, 230, about 20 per cent, "were left pregnant".

This percentage is certainly much higher, as we were not told how many of the 1,193 children sexually abused were little girls.

"Left pregnant" is exactly that. Little girls left to raise these babies of children, left to suffer not only the trauma of the abuse, but the horrific consequences of being a child babymother, their self-esteem, their education, their work prospects, and their very lives stunted and hindered and "left" to bring this pregnancy to term and birth.

Where are the self-righteous, anti-abortion religious crusaders in the lives of these poor children? Any of them stepping up to support them, or adopt their babies?

I bet not, and all that's "left" for them is talk about not killing babies after the moment of conception, and talk like that is cruelly cheap.

PATRICK BROWNE

PO Box 6

Ocho Rios, St Ann