The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) drafted a Bill seeking to legalise abortion and give contraceptives to children and teenagers aged 10–19.
If passed into law, the Bill (titled ‘EAC Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Bill 2017’) will bind East African Community member states to legalise abortion in some cases and to provide contraceptives to all EAC citizens, including children.
Sponsored by a Burundian legislator, this bill is among pending business to be handled by the new EALA legislators this year.
The newly created Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Ethics and Integrity has opposed this Bill, calling it disastrous and evil.
Bufumbira East MP Dr. James Nsaba Buturo, Buhweju County MP Francis Mwijukye, Manjiya County MP John Baptist Nambeshe and Aringa County MP Ashraf Olega are the MPs on the Parliamentary Forum on Ethics and Integrity.
In a statement to the New Vision, they have cautioned the EALA MPs against the Bill which they said violates the right to life for the unborn babies.
“I am absolutely opposed to this Bill of abortion. I made an oath to protect the constitution which guarantees the right to life including the right of the voiceless unborn babies, ” Manjiya County MP John Baptist Nambeshe has told journalists. “Abortion is an evil that must be fought by all of us. Initially I was not supporting Trump but when I learnt that he was against abortion and homosexuality, I supported him,”
As reported, the proposed legislation also requires member states to design and implement sexual and reproductive public education. If the law is endorsed, every individual would have a right to choose and consent to any method of birth control, including sterilization, a procedure in which a woman artificially made so that she cannot bear children again.
CitizenGO, a community of active citizens who work together, using online petitions and action alerts as a resource, to defend and promote life, family, and liberty has called EAC to shun this proposed bill.
“We work to ensure that those in power respect human dignity and individuals’ rights. The spirit of this bill is ill and catastrophic, it should never see the light of day. Most of its content is inconsistent with many East African Countries’ laws, since abortion is illegal in all East African countries.” CitizenGO said, as read on its website.
cnakalungi@ugchristiannews.com
