Obianuju Ekeocha: Defending Human Dignity by Defunding Planned Parenthood

Is this really the legacy that the Americans and Europeans want to leave in the developing world?

My country (Nigeria) has worked hard to eradicate completely through laws and societal codes, the dark elements within it that hurt and harmed men, women and children in the centuries past.
Today my people bask in both the wonderful splendor of culture and the powerful illumination of faith. Knowing what we know, there is no way we could ever go back to the shadows. We understand that it is indeed evil to kill another human being, old or young, rich or poor, born or unborn. To kill is evil, but to kill and cut open another human being to take their organs...now, this is an abomination. It is the most horrific abomination from the deepest, darkest abyss where the very worst elements of the past have been relegated. I never imagined that in my 21st century "modern" era I will ever re-live my grandmother's 1920's stories of killing of newborn twin babies and primitive native "medicine men" (known in my Igbo language as dibia) who in order to "consult with the gods" would demand animal (and sometimes human) hearts, livers and lungs. These were figments of a dark and hidden past of an African tribe and so never did I imagine that I will encounter them in this modern day and age.

LONDON, England (Catholic Online) - I remember when I was about 10 years old being overwhelmed with a sense of deep shame when I first heard my grandmother's stories about some traditional practices during her childhood in the 1920's and before the missionaries came to our part of Africa. 

Don't get me wrong, I am proud of my cultural heritage which is indeed multi-faceted, rich and profound in many ways, but deep within the traditional practices of my ancestors were some really dark patches that hearing about them even at the tender age of 10, I could classify these particular practices as primitive, inhumane, incompatible with civilized society.

Thankfully, for almost a century now, there has been a new era ushered in with the heralds of the Gospel.  For while the beautiful bulk of our cultural heritage has been preserved, my country (Nigeria) has worked hard to eradicate completely through laws and societal codes, the dark elements within it that hurt and harmed men, women and children in the centuries past.

So today, my people bask in both the wonderful splendor of culture and the powerful illumination of faith. Knowing what we know, there is no way we could ever go back to the shadows. So today, in my country we understand that it is indeed evil to kill another human being, old or young, rich or poor, born or unborn.

To kill is evil, but to kill and cut open another human being to take their organs...now, this is an abomination. It is the most horrific abomination from the deepest, darkest abyss where the very worst elements of the past have been relegated.

In fact, I never imagined that in my 21st century "modern" era I will ever re-live my grandmother's 1920's stories of killing of newborn twin babies and primitive native "medicine men" (known in my Igbo language as dibia) who in order to "consult with the gods" would demand animal (and sometimes human) hearts, livers and lungs. These were figments of a dark and hidden past of an African tribe and so never did I imagine that I will encounter them in this modern day and age.

But here I am living in Europe where Abortion is raised and praised as a woman's "right to choose". And here I am listening to the horrific words rolling off the tongue of an American abortionist who casually talked about harvesting human hearts, livers and lungs from tender unborn babies. Barbarism now parades in broad day light. And in the light, it looms ugly and unsightly.

Planned parenthood, the main organization implicated in a series of exposés, claim that their abortionists have done nothing wrong despite the fact that they have been caught on camera talking about their repulsive work.

The abominable evil practices that my grandparents' generation fought and buried almost a century ago in Africa, have somehow made it out and re-emerged in the whitewashed corridors of the western world . Still every bit as repulsive and still every inch as recognizable but now couched in very soft and sophisticated language like "choice", "women's health", "sexual rights" and "tissue donation program".

Barbarism now wears a beautiful robe and so can roam freely among the civilized with the help of organizations like Planned Parenthood Federation.

The question is, can a society that is shackled by the chains of political correctness dare to do what my "uneducated" ancestors have done in Africa? Can we subdue and bury the barbaric? Can we even dare to draw a line in the sand to stop an organization which is a giant in its own rights? The first thing to do is to defund Planned Parenthood in all their alter-egos .

Yes, Planned Parenthood has multiple forms and alter-egos and is able to shape-shift at will. They are a shape-shifting giant with many heads and hands.

Their main hub and heart is the International Planned Parenthood Federation which has been able to extend its reach to 172 countries around the world. What is more disturbing is that wherever they are, they are still running on the same core values and still with the same vision and mission in mind as the Planned Parenthood of America.

For instance their African alter-ego (International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region- IPPFAR) is working actively in 42 African countries (regardless of the fact that most of these African countries consider abortion as a moral depravity).

However , in their own words IPPAFAR are involved in "comprehensive" abortion care activities in 21 sub-Saharan Africa countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroun, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Guinea Conakry, Zambia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Malawi, Swaziland, Benin, Uganda, Senegal and Democratic Republic of Congo.

And according to their own website, they target rural, urban and peri-urban women and girls from low income and the marginalized groups, as well as college/university students.

One cannot help but wonder whether their "comprehensive abortion care" services in all these countries would include the harvesting of tiny little hearts, livers and lungs for profit.

Planned Parenthood has made inroads not only in the American society but also around the globe. And their reach is unbelievable extensive because they are constantly powered and well-funded, notably not by our African governments but rather by American and European governments.

Is this really the legacy that the Americans and Europeans want to leave in the developing world? Is this not a real hindrance and obstruction to the work of development in Africa for instance?

My appeal today is that when Planned Parenthood is defunded in the USA (as I hope they will be), all their international operations should also be defunded or better still completely inactivated.
Because there is something truly inhumane about killing and harvesting organs from unborn babies. And for an organization to be empowered to do that globally on the force of funding provided by your country should be unthinkable and unacceptable.

The world will thank you for not supporting the work of Planned Parenthood on their soil.

So I humbly beg you dear American legislators to do what my ancestors courageously did in Africa at the beginning of last century - bury every single barbaric and inhumane practice together with the deceptive language that strengthens, shrouds and shields it. Defend human life and human dignity today around the world by defunding Planned Parenthood in all its alter-egos and incarnations.

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Obianuju Ekeocha is an African woman, living and working in the United Kingdom as a Specialist Biomedical Scientist. She is also the founder of Culture of Life Africa, an initiative dedicated to the promotion of a Culture of Life in Africa  through the dissemination of good information, sensitization and education. She has written several articles including the "Open Letter to Melinda Gates"  and "Africa in the redefined world (An Open Letter to President Obama)" Her passion and privilege is to continue to work in defense of the sanctity and dignity of life within Culture. Her twitter handle is @obianuju

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