Anglican Archdeacon James Palacious said yesterday black people are "recycling poverty" by having too many children they cannot afford.
While speaking to hundreds of people at the Southern Recreation Grounds after the 50th Majority Rule Day march, Palacious said "black people breed too much" and rely too much on the government to do things that "we should be doing ourselves".
"We live in a society where the rich get richer and the poor get children," he said.
"What I mean is this, unless we can control our reproductive process, we will always be recycling poverty. We're recycling poverty. That's what we're doing.
"My MP in Montagu, Richard Lightbourn, made some most unfortunate remarks at the FNM convention.
"He later apologized for it, and that is important.
"When you make a mistake you apologize for it. Don't let somebody else apologize for you. You apologize for yourself.
"Now having said that, the principle of what he was trying to say, I agree totally.
"Black people breed too much."
At the FNM convention in July, Lightbourn said the state should consider tying the tubes of unwed mothers who depend on the state to raise their children.
Lightbourn said it is necessary "for us as a nation to consider adopting the lead of several countries in the world which results in an unwed mother having her tubes tied after having more than two children, which would in the end result in fewer children being born".
He said, "The state should not have the burden of paying for the upbringing of children.
"By adopting such measures, there would be [fewer] classrooms needed in the future and [fewer] persons coming out of school every year seeking employment and would also result in the mother of these children being able to live a better life not having to bring up so many children."
Palacious did not say how Bahamians should control reproducing, but he asked women who cannot afford to have numerous children to "give themselves a break".
"We get too many children we can't afford, and as a result of that, we just [dig] ourselves more and more into poverty," Palacious said.
"If we can't see that, then something is radically wrong with us.
"You have children on the lunch program right now, mothers, and you're going to go have some more?
"Come on. Give me a break. Give yourself a break.
"God didn't put you here as any baby machine. He put you here to be a productive citizen of this country.
"That's what we need. That's one of the struggles that continues, despite the great gains that we've had.
"We talk about how Princess Margaret Hospital is doing, but how are we treating our own bodies?
"How are we looking after our own health?
"You are your own primary health caregiver.
"You are your own hospital right in your house.
"When are we going to accept personal responsibility for where we are right now?
"Stop blaming somebody else."
Palacious asked Bahamians to make majority rule more meaningful. While he noted the progression of the country over the years, Palacious said "the struggle goes on".
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