Ozioma Akubueze
22 January 2007
Lagos — Recently, the African Anti-Abortion Coalition (AAAC), a non-governmental organisation working against legislation of abortion briefed the press on its proposed march on February 14 to create awareness. OZIOMA AKUBUEZE, reports.
LIFE is sacred and must be respected. Human rights campaigners have always stressed this. To them right to life is inalienable and non-negotiable. This right to life is also extended to the unborn child, no matter the stage of the pregnancy.
It is for this that anti-abortionists are vociferous to state that the foetus in the womb deserves as much the right as every individual.
These campaigners in Nigeria under the aegis of the African Anti-Abortion Coalition (AAAC) have decided to fight for the child of tomorrow and to create awareness among the populace on the dangers of legalising abortion.
For this reason, the coalition plans to organise a million people march on February 14, to mobilise people to work against and to say definite no to any form of legalising abortion.
One would wonder why the campaign since abortion is not legalised in Nigeria or why the worry at all?
The apprehension of the coalition is founded on the proposed productive health rights bill before the National Assembly and what more, with some couched statements emanating from government circles and policy makers.
The coalition which has some medical doctors, social workers, people from all walks of life as well as many other non-governmental organisations that fight for human rights is led by Prince (Dr.) Philip Njemanze of Chidicon Medical Centre as chairman, is organising the march under the theme "Save the African Child."
A non faith, non tribal or social organisation, it aims to take the campaign to many African countries to draw attention on the evils of legalising abortion in whatever format.
According to mission statement "we promote awareness about the rising rate of abortion in our society and its deleterious effects. We are committed to oppose all form of legalisation of abortion in Nigeria."
Anti-abortion campaigners and the coalition mostly, fear that government may overtly think of legalising abortion in some format as a control measure of the population now than ever more, moreso with the population put at 140 million people.
The apprehension they say hinges on President Olusegun Obasanjo's statement while presenting the census figure. The president was quoted to have said "at 140 million we are too many and we must do something about it."
The coalition contends that whatever measures are being adopted must not include abortion. Furthermore, the coalition quoted the Central Bank (CBN) Governor, Professor Charles Soludo as referring to poverty level in Jigawa being over 90 per cent and yet child marriage is in practice.
However the coalition believes that the cultural heritage not withstanding, the people could be mobilised to have a new orientation through awareness. Through it such practices could be controlled rather than certain abhorrence practices being envisaged.
Speaking on the activities of the coalition and its proposed February 14 march, Prince (Dr.) P.C. Njemanze noted "we have to create awareness of the evils of abortion now. We need to discourage the young girls on the streets and every one else that responsible life does not include condoms rather abstinence. We must observe the bible injunction of high moral life."
He further said, "it is not just abortion rather the tendency that our country could become ground for getting raw materials for cloning, or such other experiments for medical laboratories in the western world. When this happens, you could imagine the ripple effect it may have on us," concluding "now is the time to say a resounding no to abortion."
Contributing Dr. E.I.B. Okechukwu, a member of the coalition said that abortion has variants and once legalised, it could cause much grievance in the society.
He listed the variants as "total abortion, partial abortion, selective abortion" among others.
Explaining Dr. Okechukwu stated that total abortion entails evacuating the foetus which is developing. He noted that is the process of stopping the growth of the foetus, which is life and this amounts to murder, however one looks at it.
Going on, he said that partial abortion is a process in which at the determination of the sex of the baby in the womb, the parents could ask the doctor to severe some organs as to change the course of growth as to get the sex wanted. Dr. Okechukwu noted that the effect of this hybridisation leads to brain damage, deformity at birth or either total failure of the operation.
He further said that the selective includes a situation in which the baby is aborted with certain organs killed for experimental purposes or a situation the foetus or baby has its head crushed to implant another.
He said "abortion is an operation in which two people go in and one person comes out. It is bad. It is morally wrong. It is professionally wrong. As a doctor, you are to preserve and protect life not kill."
Dr. Emmanuel I.B Okechukwu, MD, Josemaria Hospital Maryland has a clincher for his colleagues who may see nothing with abortion; "Don't kill your future patients," he cautioned, reiterating that there is no guarantee that both persons who go in for the operation would come out alive, "it has a high mortality" he concludes.
For Nze Michael Ndubuisi, the co-ordinator of the coalition in Abia State and founder, Responsible Children of African (RCA), the onus is on the family and responsibility. He noted that it is high time morals are emphasised, insisting that the anxiety among the campaigners is the vigour with which government and its agencies promote condoms.
He was very sad that this is bringing a ruination to the society and not solving anything at all.
Nze Ndubuisi maintained that since government is busy sharing condoms in the name of checking AIDS and HIV, it could likely one day say abortion is to be legalised as an approach to check population.
He was very sad that today most families are no more responsible and contended that only if we think of extinction would we neglect morals. His advice was that government should stop sharing out condoms at events it organises or at its health centres.
He noted that this has raised awareness in the wrong directions as little children see it as natural to engage in sexual acts. They discuss these as ordinary issues and go ahead to practicalise it. The resultant effect, child-mother, increasing productive health problems among teenagers.
Nze Ndubuisi opined that with the above scenario, the society is adrift and so people would loose their consciences and it would be a matter of time before some would advocate for abortion as a way out.
It is to stop this loss of conscience and be alive to our responsibility that we must march against abortion and its proponents.
Nze Ndubuisi further noted that the unborn is helpless and must not be visited with injustice.
Princess Hannah P.J. Njemanze, also a member of the coalition had very hard words for the proponents of the Productive Health right bill.
She criticised the group led by Daisy Danjuma as having got its act wrong. She said the move is not focused, debased of conscience and lacks sense, using statistics, she noted that records from Nigeria Medical Association put the number of "abortion cases in Nigeria at between 600,000 and 800,000 annually, but unofficial report has it that about 10 million abortions are committed in Nigeria annually."
"At government hospitals, we have the conservative record of 600,000 to 800,000 but remember that private clinics, the patent stores, among others perform unofficial abortions and we don't have that on record, hence the estimate of 10 million," she stated.
She maintained that it is time to stop the callous killing of unborn children by stopping legalising of abortion.
If the country ever legalises abortion, the estimate will quadruple and we will be faced with a catastrophy on our hands. Princess Njemanze urged Nigerians to come out enmasse on February 14 to march against abortion and its legalisation.
Princess Njemanze said that legalisation of abortion would lead to many other evils such as cloning, deliberate aborting of foetus for experiment and increase immorality in the society.
"We should not legalise criminality in any guise," she cautioned.
She harped on the need for people of all religions to come out to condemn government's establishment of condom industries just as she wondered the economic gains Nigerians stand to get if not to harvest myriad of sexual related problems.
However when Dr. Okechukwu was asked if there could be medical reasons to do abortion or to recommend abortion to a patient, he said such does not actually arise. He maintained that there are other ethical means to help such patients than to abort.
Rhetorically he asked "if these geniuses and men and women who have affected our lives positively been aborted, would the world had riped from them? "Let us give everyone opportunity. No one owns life but God, let us not decide for God," he quipped.
As to those who practice, Dr. Okechukwu said it is ethically bad, morally abhorable and religiously condemnable; asking further "so on what grounds can you legalise abortion."
However summarising on the proposed march, Prince (Dr.) Njemanze noted "our ultimate goal is to call to holiness of persons and promotion of human dignity in society," enjoining everyone with "we encourage the participation of faith-based organisations, Christians, Moslems, youth organisations and all who love life to come out to enlist a support against abortion."
Opinions from a cross section of Nigerians on the issue received a thumbs down. Very many women cautioned the lawmakers on ever debating the bill because to them it goes against morals and natural justice.
Mrs. Janet Osarenwen, a nurse, "it is not adviceable and against her training to support its legalisation."
The coalition which has Lagos State Nigeria Medical Association President, Dr. Akinlade, Dr. Lyn Olise, Dr. Moses Imayi of the Youth Action Rangers as members and co-ordinators of various committees is urging Nigerians to see February 14 as a day to devote our time to "save our children" from abuse of legalised abortion.
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