NewStats: 3,264,069 , 8,182,487 topics. Date: Monday, 09 June 2025 at 02:17 PM 3x2k1b

Dump pro-women reproductive rights Bill, Abia CAN advises State lawmakers
By Ben Duru, Correspondent, Umuahia

Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Abia State has urged the state's House of Assembly to stop debate on the proposed bills on "Women's reproductive rights" and "Women's maternal health rights."




http://odili.net/news/source/2009/jul/17/401.html

According to CAN, the bill should be thrown into the dustbin because what the state needed now were medical life-saving institutions, not life-destroying contraption such as a reproductive rights law.

Disclosing this to the Speaker, Chief Agwu U. Agwu, and lawmakers during a courtesy call at the assembly complex, the church leaders said the state must not be allowed to be used as a dumping ground or image laundering area for the already defeated bill.

Abia State chairman of CAN and head of the Methodist Church in the state, Archbishop Rogers O. Uwadi, who led the delegation, informed the lawmakers that the pro-abortion groups, which comprises IPPF, Society for Family Health, UNICEF, USAID had shifted their genocidal attack against Nigeria's unborn children to Abia State.

He said that merits and demerits of the proposed bill had been considered in all entirety at the National Assembly and thrown out, and that the same thing happened at the Imo State House of Assembly, adding that the shifting of ground to the state was a face-saving device.

Uwadi said that Abia women have a right to reproductive health, adding that to foster that right in the state, "our women do not need the legislation on abortion whether now or in the future."

According to him, "what women require are health education, health saving-skills and basic health facilities nearest their homes and places of work to assure prompt and affordable care in times of need and emergency."

The CAN leader disclosed that women only required a law to protect their reproductive rights to freely choose their marriage partners irrespective of creed, race or ethnic decent as well as legal protection to guarantee their rights as expectant and nursing mothers when under gainful employment.

He called on the lawmakers to resist the subtle pressure from the Western world which had legalised abortion, saying it has brought about depressive effects, such as low birth rate, an aging population, promiscuity, rapes, broken families and increase in divorce.

He pinpointed the open promotion of perversion of same-sex marriages, transmission of obscenities to children in the name of sex education, and diffusion of pornography as some of the other byproducts of the law.

Besides, Agwu said the House had not received any bill on "Women's Reproductive Rights and Women's Maternal Health Rights," adding that a bill of such sensitive magnitude would normally have a public hearing where various shades of opinion would be accommodated.

Agwu said the fears of CAN were well grounded and reassured it that the House would always partner the church to move the state forward.