 Founder
and Chairwoman of the Miss World Limited, Julia Morley, has come out to support Sara Lawrence, Miss World Caribbean, and made it clear that she will not expect Sara to relinquish her title due to an unplanned pregnancy. In fact, she has given Sara her unwavering support during this time, and made it clear that she expects local pageant promoters, including Mickey Haughton-James, head of the Jamaica pageant, to do the same.
Sara made headlines around the world when she when she announced that
she was pregnant and forfeiting her Miss Jamaica World title. But when Julia Morley caught wind of the announcement, she quickly intervened, claiming that Sara "is a warm, compassionate, brilliant girl whose behaviour and promotion of Jamaica is second to none... it is not for anyone to condemn Ms Lawrence, but to give her the love and support she needs during her pregnancy." (Click here to read Julia's full letter of support.)
Wow... just... wow. I am happily stunned to hear someone speaking up so loudly for a mother's rights. While some people have argued that Sara's pregnancy compromises her role as a safe sex advocate, I think her announcement, and Julia Morley's support of it, make a strong and necessary statement about the value of women in our society - particularly pregnant women. Why can't a single, pregnant woman be a good role model? Sara Lawrence is an exemplary person in every way - and the fact she is a safe sex crusader who became pregnant unexpectedly underscores the very important fact that protected sex, while lowering your chances of contracting an STD or becoming pregnant, is not 100% effective. Unplanned pregnancies are common the world over, and there is still a stigma attached them that only women are affected by. Sara and Julia are working hard to debunk the myth that pregnant women, and single mothers, don't have a place in this world; Single mothers are, in fact, are a large part of our society, and they have value, and they matter. I applaud Sara Lawrence and Julia Morley for their strength and conviction.
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