The Wright Stuff: Terrorism, Gender Selection, Runaway Children [16th July 2007]

[16th July 2007]

This week I am appearing as a panellist on the Wright Stuff, every morning from 9.00-10.30. This morning we discussed many issues including terrorism, gender selection, and runaway children.

“The Ballot is better than the Bomb”

Concerning terrorism, I am against using that term. Bombing or attempting to bomb people is a criminal offence. It’s called murder or attempted murder. By calling these people terrorists, we elevate these criminals into a political position which they do not deserve. Democracy is about the ballot, not the bomb. The government is considering whether we should detain terror suspects without charge indefinitely. I am against this, because this would bring us down to the level of the criminals themselves. Only once people are charged should we consider detention without time limits. A judge must review the time limits in each case.

“Designer Babies”

Being a parent is a privilege, not a right. Science does not have a soul. It is for us to employ ethics to science. For us to dictate the sex of our children, is the slippery slope to designer babies. How can we lecture people in India and China, where there has been a preference for male babies, if we are going to go down the same route?

“Runaway Kids”

This was a very interesting debate, and we had a number of phone calls from the viewers recounting their own experiences. As a lawyer, I represented many runaways who, unfortunately, got themselves into crime. The common denominator between many of the cases was the lack of communication between the children and their parents or extended family. During the program I pointed out that there are excellent charities like ChildLine, Parentalk and the Missing Persons Helpline that help runaway children.