Obianuju Ekeocha: Legalization of Abortion in my Africa

As a Nigerian woman in diaspora , I raise my own voice with millions of others, to ask, no- to beg the Governor of my State to repeal this law that is bound to claim the lives of countless unborn babies and scar the hearts of countless women

I just received a very disturbing news from my home state, Imo, situated in the south Eastern part of Nigeria where our State Governor (Governor Rochas Okorocha) and the State Assembly have signed an odious anti-life Bill into law. Like most bills, it is very long and probably intimidating to read. But unlike most bills, it was kept secret- top secret.  But, it has now been brought into the light - and it has been thoroughly read and fully unpacked. And what do you know? Buried under hundreds of paragraphs and thousands of words, was the so called Right to Abortion!

P>ENUGU, Nigeria (Catholic Online) -  I just received a very disturbing news from my home state, Imo, situated in the south Eastern part of Nigeria where our State Governor (Governor Rochas Okorocha) and the State Assembly have signed an odious anti-life Bill into law.

Like most bills, it is very long and probably intimidating to read. But unlike most bills, it was kept secret- top secret. 

But, it has now been brought into the light - and it has been thoroughly read and fully unpacked. And what do you know? Buried under hundreds of paragraphs and thousands of words, was the so called Right to Abortion!

Yes indeed, the poisonous mix of Sexual and Reproductive Health plus family planning has in it the death potion - Abortion!

In this little known state in Africa, the so called Right to Abortion has been signed into law without public notice and without anybody finding out about it.

Without further ado, let me give you the details of this disturbing Law that sent chills through my spine and brought tears to my eyes.

The Law entitled Imo State Law of Nigeria Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) law No 12 , was "sold" silently as a law to eliminate violence in private and public life, prohibit all forms of violence including physical, physiological, domestic, harmful traditional practices, discrimination against remedies for victims and punishment of offenders.

I know- a bit of a mouthful that sounds innocuous and even innocent enough -  but if you are learned, able and patient to read all the way to page 38 of the Bill, this is exactly what you will see in section 40 from paragraph (g) - (i) :

"Every woman shall have a right to health, which shall be understood to mean the enjoyment of the highest level of physical, mental and social well-being, health care services, including those related to family planning in particular, rural woman shall have the right to have access to adequate health care facilities, including information, counseling and services in family planning.

"Every woman shall have the rights to take decisions about her health needs and requirement. In particular, she shall have the right to determine the process concerning reproduction in her body.

"Every woman shall have the right to enjoy reproductive rights including the right to medical abortion in cases of sexual assault, rape, incest and where the continued pregnancy endangers the life or the physical, mental, physiological or emotional health of the mother"
....

Here comes Legalized abortion in West Africa. For anyone who is in the pro-life movement will surely recognize these words as the "bump key" that opens the flood gates of abortion. It is crystal clear without ambiguity. This is the Right to Abortion.

"A right to determine the process concerning reproduction in her body"?

A right to kill her own unborn child "where the continued pregnancy endangers her emotional health" ?

Wow! These could have just been the talking point of any pro-abortion proponent in Europe or America. 

In fact, this must be music to the ears of the wealthy pro-abortion cartel hovering over Africa like vultures waiting for the African leaders that will let them in to open up their violent business- the business if killing babies in the womb.

Surely they have been lobbing and pushing and prodding our leaders, and now one Nigerian Governor has capitulated to their lie that in order to eliminate violence against women, one has to declare violence against babies in the womb.

This is so distressing!

And ever since I heard it, I have interviewed many people in my home town. And one of those interviews was the one with Dr Philip Njemanze, who is undoubtedly one of the most prominent pro-life advocates in Nigeria, he said this law was signed quietly many months ago (May 2012) but was only brought to his attention within the last week.

Being a very eloquent and passionate proponent of the Culture of Life, he sprung into action and started to raise awareness across the state through the media .

And because most Nigerians are uncompromisingly pro-life, there is now a strong call from the  masses for the Governor to immediately abrogate this violently offensive law that was insidiously woven into a bill on Anti-Violence.

How ironic that a Bill on Anti-Violence should be used to usher in the highest form of violence -violence against the unborn child.

As the Government is now experiencing the heat from the opposition of the people, one of the Government's spokespersons has done a press release, vehemently denying Dr Njemanze's allegations of legalized Abortion.

And so in response, and in good faith, Dr Njemanze sent me a copy of this odious law and I shared  the most offensive page with you so that you can read it for yourself (as I did) and then raise your voice with us to ask for this law to be repealed for the sake of the unborn babies of  Africa.    

Africa remains a largely pro-life territory, and Nigeria remains a pro-life country with pro-life laws in place, so to have a State within Nigeria open its doors to the so called Right to Abortion is heart-breaking and gut-wrenching for all Africans, because as Martin Luther King Jr said - "Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere".

We should never attack and destroy life in the womb. That is the most shocking barbaric violence that many Africans living in the developed world find hard to reconcile with - that any government in any part of the civilised world would sanctioned and even support the destruction of tender life in the womb.

We know that injustice in the womb is indeed injustice everywhere . And violence in the womb, is violence everywhere. 

We cannot allow this poisonous Culture of Death to seep into the African society not even through the smallest state or town or city in Africa. We cannot!

As a Nigerian woman in diaspora , I raise my own voice with millions of others, to ask, no - to beg the Governor of my State to repeal this law that is bound to claim the lives of countless unborn babies and scar the hearts of countless women.

I urge him to eliminate ALL violence in public and private life and yes even for those little ones who are enjoying their private life in the womb!

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Obianuju Ekeocha is originally from Nigeria, but has for the past six years has been living and working in the United Kingdom as a biomedical scientist. Her work, including the recent An Open Letter to Melinda Gates, has been published in The Catholic Herald UK and other Catholic news outlets. Obianuju is also part of Culture of Life Africa, an initiative dedicated to the promotion and propagation of the Gospel of Life in Africa through the dissemination of good information, sensitization and education.

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