EDITOR, The Tribune.

While our country has our own morals and standards I thought that it would be interesting to compare our laws on equality to those of the rest of the world so that our people could decide what nations they think we should group ourselves with from a legal and moral perspective.

Countries which do not allow women equal rights to pass citizenship:-

Bahamas, Iran, Lebanon, Mauritania, Sierra Leon, Togo, Bahrain, Barbados, Iraq, Jordan, Liberia, Libya, Nepal, Oman, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates,

Brunei, Kribati, Madagascar, Qatar, Swaziland, Burundi, Kuwait, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Denmark, Iceland, New Zealand and Sweden.

Countries that allow same-sex marriage:-

Belgium, Brazil, Finland, France, Portugal, Luxembourg, Scotland, South Africa, United States, Argentina, England/Wales, Ireland, Norway, Uruguay, Canada, Greenland, The Netherlands, Spain.

The above information was obtained from www.pewforum.org

Pew Research Centre

According to various sources, including World Atlas; there are 196 countries in the world. Based on the above, 27 do not allow women equal rights and 22 allow same sex marriage.

Of the 27 which do not allow women equal rights, only two are not predominately Muslim.

I find it fascinating that many of our religious leaders seem to be adopting the moral ethos of Muslim rather than Christian nations.

As for same-sex marriage, it is equally clear that the granting of equal rights to women does not automatically give rise to provisions allowing same-sex marriage.

Clearly, legislators only pass legislation that is in keeping with the prevailing moral attitudes of the country and the people they represent.

As such all this discussion about equal rights and same-sex marriage is political and moral foolishness.

Can we please keep the discussion limited to the real issues.

Vote “Yes” and ensure that among other rights your daughters have the same rights to pass citizenship as male children born in The Bahamas to illegal immigrants can obtain.

LORI LOWE

Nassau,

April 29, 2016.