Lagos — VISITING American Congressman, Mr. Chris Smith, has called on the African Union (AU) to provide obstetric health services for women and not abortion, just as chairman African Anti-Abortion Coalition, Prince (Dr). Philip Njemanze, has accused some international organizations of contravening the Nigerian Constitution in seeking the legalization of abortion.

Both men spoke weekend at a public awareness lecture organized by anti-abortionists at the Pan-African University Aja, Lekki, Lagos.

Smith, a guest of Whitesands School and the Nigerian Assocaition of Family Development (NAFAD), and guest lecturer at the Seminar, spoke on the theme "Children Under Extinction: A Call to Action" was organized by Whitesands School and NAFAD together with other anti abortion groups in continuation of the awareness creation and sensitization of the citizenry on the dangers of legalizing abortion in the country.

Smith said "reproductive health right is not the same thing and would not be the same with legalization of abortion."

He said what women in Africa need is obstetric care to treat pregnancy-related diseases not abortion in any form.

"The lives of countless Africans have been lost or harmed by war, crime, famine or disease and abortion, legal and illegal threatens to destroy the next generation of African children," he said. Debunking claims that abortion guarantees safety of the mother in certain circumstances; he noted "it is false to claim that abortion will be safe if it is legal. Abortion is never safe for the child and can harm the woman physically, emotionally and psychologically whether legal or illegal."

Smith who represents New Jersey's 4th District in the congress rather advocated that "complications from childbirth can be treated and women's lives saved if they have access to safe and sanitary birth delivery centres, delivery kits trained birth attendants, antibiotics, clean blood transfusions and prevention and treatment of obstetric fistula."

According to him, women need access to health care for prevention of illness and diseases so they do not die from treatable diseases.

He said health reproductive right means access to quality health services especially obstetrics, empowerment, education and social security, that go a long way to help women define their goals and targets.

He noted that the anti-abortion campaign became necessary as a result of ratification of the African Union of Maputo Action Plan on Reproductive Health, to which Nigeria is a signatory.

The 'Maputo Protocol' as referred has been adopted by the All member countries as a plan towards population control which included the adoption of the China population management.

Citing Article 14 © of the Protocol, Mr. Smith stated it was outright adoption of abortion not reproductive health right.

The section states: "parties shall take all appropriate measure to; protect the reproductive rights of women by authorizing medical abortion in cases of sexual assault, rape, incest, and where the continued pregnancy endangers the mental and physical health of the mother or the life of the mother or the unborn child ."

Prince (Dr.) Philip Njemanze however took a swipe at planned parenthood, United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), among other organizations as being the advocates for legalization of abortion in the country.

He accused them of smuggling abortion in our legislation, and for this "criminal act they need to be chased out of Nigeria."

"It is criminal, it is abhorable, we condemn their activities towards abortion in strong terms" Dr. Njemanze stated.

He alleged that majority of the legislators both at the National and state Assembly who are anti-abortion have claimed ignorance of the Maputo protocol on health right. "This is breach of trust and oath of office by those who swore to protect the lives of Nigerians," he said.