Contraceptives and STDs

My colleague, Isabel Stabile, seems to have misinterpreted my letter about free contraceptives and STDs.

I never mentioned anything about the efficacy or otherwise of condoms or of any other contraceptive.

I just commented on the seemingly paradoxical situation that free contraception does not necessarily equate to a reduction in STDs in a given population.

I sincerely hope that Malta will not go down the same path.

Carmel Sciberras – Naxxar

Abortion danger

I wish to speak up on behalf of all the babies waiting to be born who are in danger of being aborted.

Please spare their lives.

Victoria Pace Ross – Sliema

Hear, hear

Although we know how harmful noise is, it seems that little or nothing is done to avoid it.

Sound is measured in decibels (dB): 140 dB is the least level that harms our hearing, more or less.

I write from experience. Forty years ago, I worked for contractors who handled all types of merchandise, from general cargo to containers on trailers. Much of the cargo was discharged on the quays for the consignees to call for them.

The noise made during the discharging and loading was abominable.

When I went to an ENT specialist I thought it was just to clean my ears. The first thing I was told was that my ears were clean but my hearing was partially lost due to the extreme noise on the quays.

The amount of harm caused by the environmental exposure depends on the amount of time you are in it.

Karl Flores – San Ġwann

Parking issues

While it is encouraging to see e-foot scooters finally being given allocated and geocached parking spaces that will see vital footways cleared for pedestrians, is it not time for similar strict rules to be applied to double parking for cars? After all, these slow down other car drivers far more.

The obstruction of motorcycle spaces by cars and parking on corners needs to be as strongly and effectively enforced and fines quadrupled.

As we are stuck for parking spaces and our unwarranted planners seem to squeeze in parking spaces within the limi­tations set by the highway code, why don’t we then add build-outs to bring the stop line or give way markings in line with the outer edge of parked vehicles, making junctions safer?

Jim Wightman – St Julian’s