NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Office of the Prime Minister Press Secretary Clint Watson said legalizing abortion is not on the Davis administration’s agenda because the public has not expressed mass interest in it.
His comment came during the weekly Office of the Prime Minister press conference yesterday.
The decision of the US Supreme Court to overturn landmark Roe v Wade ruling that legalized abortion in 1973 has sparked global debate about the procedure.
Watson said: “If that is something that Bahamian people want, they know how to lobby for change.
“We govern on behalf of the Bahamian people. And that means you’re sent to govern based on what they believe your interests line up with their interests.
“That has not been something expressed by the people on a mass scale. So it’s not on anybody’s agenda.
“It’s not on our agenda. It’s not on the opposition’s agenda.
“I’ve never heard any of the other political parties put it on their agenda.
“So, you can judge when no political party has it on the agenda, it’s probably not a conversation Bahamians want to entertain at this time.
“You govern on behalf of the people. Will that always remain it? I can’t say.
“New generations are coming up and their requirements are different.
“But if you govern by your constitution, and what you stand by, it’s against the law.
“And that’s what remains in place until there’s a push or a national lobby for otherwise.”
Watson said the administration is not moved by debates in the United States.
“It’s just happened in the United States of America. We don’t make impulse decisions in The Bahamas government based on what the U.S. has done.
“Now, granted, it may cause for more awakening or to see whether there will be any effects. But we’re not gonna all of a sudden pick up a mandate of dealing with abortion legislation because the United States did something.
“That’s not how you govern. You govern based on what your priorities are.
“The administration was elected based on a specific set of priorities. That’s the focus of the government.
“You divert in the event of an emergency or you divert in an event of of there being a call, a clarion call for some change, but not because something happened in another country. You don’t drop your mandate, focus and pick up something else.
“That was never part of the Davis administration’s mandate, and to this point still does not become a part of it.
“Whether there will be conversations, we’ll see what the public is asking for; we’ll see what those who are involved in the industry are saying about it and whether or not it has any bearing on The Bahamas.
“But right now it’s not a discussion that Bahamians are having here widespread as far as their involvement in it. So, it’s not a priority for the administration.
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