Anti-abortion, homosexuality demo shifted to November -Evangelical Association of Malawi
The Ethics, Peace and Justice Commission (EPJC) of Evangelical Association of Malawi has shifted the planned protests against abortion and homosexuality calls from 17t October to November 2016.
A few weeks ago the Ethics, Peace and Justice Commission announced its plans to hold what they call “the Citizen’s March for Life and Family” in all 28 districts in reaction to the current growing international pressure to force Malawi legalise homosexuality and abortion.
However, in a statement signed by EPJC Chairperson Rev. Dr. Zacc Kawalala and EPJC Vice Secretary Makhumbo Munthali, the grouping state that the change of the date has been arrived at in order to accommodate all stakeholders.
“The decision to shift this national celebration of life and family to November 2016 has been arrived at in order to adequately accommodate all stakeholders who have expressed solid interest and overwhelming support to be part and parcel of the process leading to the Citizen’s March for Life and Family in the general interest of all concerned Malawians.” reads the statement.
According to Kawalala and Munthali, the actual date for the March and the entire program including the regional, district focal points, and position paper on life and family will be announced at an all-inclusive multi-stakeholder news conference to be held in Lilongwe soon.
“The Citizen’s March for Life and Family will accord the citizens of Malawi irrespective of political, social, religious, and tribal divide- to publicly reaffirm and celebrate the following truths and facts about life and family: that sex and marriage is naturally between man and woman; that man and woman union is the naturally ideal and complete basic unit of a society; that life begins at conception; that Life is sacred and must be safeguarded with extreme care from conception that Life must be preserved and protected from conception”, argue Kawalala and Munthali.
Meanwhile, renowned gay rights activist Gift Trapence of Centre for Development of People has condemned the plans to hold protests against homosexuality and abortion saying church sponsored homophobia is regrettable.
“In a country where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons ( LGBT) people are already marginalized and need to hide for fear for arbitrary violence , the planned demonstrations is an appalling move to further curtail the rights of LGBT people, and those who support them,” Trapence observed.
Recently, when meeting the Assemblies of God leaders President Peter Mutharika said the problems facing the country are signs of “moral degradation in our society” and that Malawians are “far away from God’s Commandments.”
The Episcopal Conference of Malawi through the Pastoral Letter titled “Mercy of God as a path of hope” issued in March 2016 faulted “foreign nations and agencies who attach aid to values and practices that are contrary to our culture”, and indicated that “such practices are not only against our culture but also contrary to our laws and beliefs.
The Catholic bishops labelled the proponents of abortion legislation as “agents of the culture of death”, and indicated that through campaigning for abortion legislation human life is under direct attack.
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