Parliament should consider public opinion before making any amendments on abortion legislation, religious leaders have said.
Speaking during a joint news conference, on Monday, nearly 20 religious leaders from various denominations, urged vigilance before the final decision is taken, with some calling for a referendum on the issue.
Anglican Church Archbishop, Rt. Rev. Onesphore Rwaje, said that since abortion leads to dire consequences it was "very important" that the opinion of the public is sought first.
"Views from the public should be heard before making any decision, otherwise there's a likelihood of making decisions that may be unpopular with the public. As a democratic nation, people's views should be listened to and considered," he said.
Article 165 of the draft Penal Code, which was approved last week by the Chamber of Deputies and promptly forwarded to the Senate for further scrutiny, criminalises abortion but outlines four exceptional cases under which it may be permitted by a court of law.
The article stipulates that there is no criminal liability for a woman who causes her own abortion and a medical doctor who helps a woman to abort provided that any of the following conditions are met. They are; in case of pregnancy as a result of incest, rape, forced marriage, and/or when the continuation of a pregnancy seriously jeopardises the health of the unborn baby or the pregnant woman.
But Rwaje insisted that, rather than accepting abortion under those conditions, measures should be taken to address the four highlighted causes "since they are the problem and not abortion".
He argued that some people were also born as a result of terrible circumstances, like rape, forced marriages or incest, among others, but have gone on to become useful citizens to the nation.
Pastor Charles Mugisha of New Life Bible Church, Kicukiro, said abortion is infanticide and, therefore, it shouldn't be legalised under any condition.
"A referendum should be carried out and let the public decide on whether they really want abortion to be legalised or not.
"Otherwise, if it's made legal, there won't be anything restraining people from aborting, thus leading to more abortions, with several people hiding behind the four exceptions to carry out an abortion," he said.
Bishop Simaragde Mbonyitege, of the Catholic Diocese of Kabgayi, said there was no justification whatsoever for one to abort.
He said that abortion "in every aspect, under every condition is equivalent to killing" and no bit of it should be legalised.
Bishop Mbonyitege emphasised the need to deal with the circumstances that lead to abortion, instead of destroying the life of an innocent child, stressing that only God has the right to take a life.
The clergyman said the Church will continue to be "the voice of the voiceless" through advocating for the life of the unborn child by standing against abortion.
Retired Anglican Archbishop, Most Reverend Emmanuel Kolini, said abortion was wrong, adding that pouring innocent blood brings terrible conditions on a nation.
He, however, couldn't commit himself regarding clause four of Article 165, which permits abortion to save a life.
Asked his position in case a woman who has been advised by medical personnel to abort due to the fact that the health of mother/baby was at great risk if they continued with the pregnancy, Kolini said the decision should be between the two parents.
"The decision should be made by the two parents of the child and a medical doctor. If they are uncertain about the decision, they should ask for God's help," he said.
Asked the same question, Archbishop Rwaje couldn't also commit himself on whether he would advise a woman in that situation to terminate the pregnancy or not, only insisting that abortion is wrong.
Bishop Mbonyitege, however, stuck to his guns, saying "abortion is killing and therefore wrong".
Pastor Mugisha was even more forthright. "If that is the case, then why don't they kill women who have been raped by people infected with HIV/ Aids; after all, it means that they will eventually die."
"Therefore, it isn't justifiable to destroy an unborn child's life because of a health complication. That is more like committing infanticide. We should give children a chance to live and let God decide if He wants to take their lives," he said.
The senior pastor, Zion Temple, Apostle Paul Gitwaza, noted that he, too, had a son who the doctors claimed should be aborted because he had a problem with his brains. "I declined and, today, the child is in good health and is always among the best in his class."
Archbishop Rwaje warned that secularism was knocking at the door of the country, so Rwandans should be very careful not to let it in.
Anglican bishop, Louis Muvunyi, of Kigali Diocese, Rwanda is down the same lane the US took when it started legalising abortion "bit-by-bit."
However, the clerics' position will not be taken lightly by some activists who argue that abortion should be decriminalized at once.
Chantal Umuhoza, the Coordinator of Safe Abortion Action Fund, stated that it's a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy, arguing that legalising abortion can help improve maternal health.
"We should have a safe legal environment for safe abortion. There shouldn't be conditions and restrictions for abortion to be carried out," she said.
Cassien Havugimana, the Program Manager of Health Development Initiative, said there were other conditions that should justify abortion such as children who get pregnant at a tender age, while in school, those who are homeless, as well as don't have the capacity to raise a child.
About 60,000 pregnancies are terminated in Rwanda every year, with 40 per cent leading to complications that require treatment, according to a recent report.
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Abortion is not the answer and this is where sex education is important for teenagers. First of all, let us understand the meaning of ABORTION; which is defined as the expulsion of the conceptus – the product of conception at any point between fertilization and birth – before the 24th week or the loss of a foetus weighing 500gm or less. I think Rwanda should make abortion or termination of pregnancy illegal, even do abortion has some circumstances in which it is permissible. According to some experts/obstetrician and gynecologist, a pregnancy may be terminated if two registered medical practitioners are of the opinion, formed in good faith, that continuation of pregnancy will endanger the mother’s life. “For instance, if she has breast cancer, cancer of the womb or renal failure; the mother’s safety and well-being is always priority because we have to take into consideration her family and existing children whom she has to care for. If the pregnancy were to continue, it would deprive them of a mother.” Also according to some experts; Termination of pregnancy is also advised to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical and mental health of the mother. Like victims of rape or incest who become impregnated as a result are permitted to abort their child as long as there is a mental assessment from a psychiatrist that shows if the girl were to continue with her pregnancy, it would affect her psychologically, maybe causing her to lose her mind. But we need to understand here that, if the foetus is diagnosed with gross physical or mental abnormalities, like severe anencephaly where the baby is without a brain or skull, or part of it is missing, surely, the experts would suggested that an abortion can be advised. Because when the baby is born, it may only live for a few hours,” Although, many people think that abortion appears to be a minor operation – if done correctly, it takes only 10 to 15 minutes, but the complications can and do occur anytime, anywhere. These are some techniques in abortion procedure Various techniques are employed in an abortion procedure, all of which depends on the stage of gestation. They can be grouped as either medical or surgical termination.
Medical termination is for pregnancies less than nine weeks old. This can be done with a Mifepristone tablet (a hormone tablet that blocks production of progesterone produced by the mother’s body to maintain early pregnancy). It causes bleeding, pain and expulsion of the conceptus within 24 to 48 hours and I strongly believe that this tablet is not available in Rwanda or even it is hard to find. With oral medication, the abortion can be incomplete and has to be supplemented with a surgical technique like curettage. Again depending on the period of gestation, if it was between five to six weeks, it may come out with the menses. Between eight to nine weeks, the abortion may be incomplete and a surgical termination like D&C (dilatation and curettage) is needed.” Under surgical termination, pregnancies less than 12 weeks old can be aborted via a suction curettage or D&C. beyond 12 weeks, the procedure for termination of pregnancy is more complex, where it’s almost like an induction of labour. All surgical termination procedures are done under general anaesthesia because the patient is relaxed, making the cervix easier to dilate. Only doctors who have undergone obstetrics and gynaecology training/posting and have been taught or have performed these procedures, as part of their training supervised by the consultant OBGYN is capable of performing an abortion surgery safely. What happened in case it performs by untrained person? We have to know that a life is at stake, particularly if you are talking about teenagers. It might affect them and their future pregnancies. The worse case scenario is death because if it is a forceful rather than gradual dilatation of the cervix, the pregnant woman can go into shock. Bear in mind that the cervix for those who have not delivered before is the size of a pinhole and you are trying to dilate it to about six to seven millimetres in diameter. If it is forceful dilatation or performed by someone untrained, it can tear the cervix where the immediate effect of which is haemorrhage and that in the long term, the muscles of the cervix will become weak or damaged. Uncontrolled and if the clinic is not properly equipped with blood supply for instance, the woman can die.” To do so, the woman must be prepared for the reality that she might not be able to conceive when she wants to because when there is tear or perforation resulting in continuous bleeding or severe infection, sometimes the uterus has to be removed. Should she get pregnant, she’ll find that she is likely to have recurrent spontaneous miscarriages or go into pre-term labour.” In that time, an incomplete abortion without supplementation can lead to prolong bleeding, causing infection and damage to the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus and eventually resulting in infertility. Uterine perforation can also take place because the uterus is usually anteverted (tilted forward) and instruments like the curette are stiff. As it is inserted, it might perforate the cervix or the wall of the uterus, which can result in a haemorrhage; perforate the bladder, which can cause urine leakage; or puncture any of the intestines, as they are located behind the uterus. Between a D&C and suction curettage, the latter is safer because it uses a plastic tube, which is softer and thus able to follow the curve of the uterus. The degree of complication also depends on period of gestation with complications less likely to occur if the pregnancy is still in its early stages and if it conducted legally in a hospital will have a smaller percentage of complications. My recommendations to this ….. These are the risks girls have to know they are taking and whether it’s worth taking them. Many think it’s an easy way out, as contraception. But I don’t think they actually realize what they are in for. They are desperate people who try to solve the problem with desperate measures, Rwandan youth must be more responsible, in the sense if they feel they are sexually active, they should understand the consequences and be prepared to take the risk, although I don’t think that is the right attitude. Abortion is not the answer and this is where sex education is important for teenagers. It’s hard making these comments but as an academician, I feel that moral and religious guidance are very important to guide our teenagers because of exposure to the media and Westernisation. One who finds herself pregnant, should first go to her parents and discuss it with them. I know as teens, they’re at that rebellious stage where they think their parents are their worst enemy. But your parents are your best friends who always have your best interest at heart. If not, talk to counselors who can understand and help you.
Dr Ismael B. Academician