Malawi govt says there is no abortion bill as hundreds join ‘March for Life’
As hundreds of ctitiens took to the streets across Malawi on Tuesday to expres their opposition to all forms of abortion and affirmed their support for the right to the natural family and the life of unborn children, government has said there in no ‘Abortion Bill’ that Parliament will debate.
Two of the country’s major religious groups—Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) and Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM)— organised the demonstrations following reports that Parliament will debate The Termination of Pregancy Bill to legalise abortion.
But Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Malison Ndau, who is also spokesman for the government, denies that there is an Abortion Bill ready for debate in the National Assembly.
“The truth of the matter is that the Law Commission has developed a Report and made recommendations to Government to adopt a new law on abortion.
“Currently, the law on abortion is governed by the Penal Code. Sections 149, 150, 151 and 243 of the Penal Code prohibit termination of pregnancy except where the life of the mother is threatened. This is the status of the law,” explained Ndau in a statement made available to Nyasa Times.
Ndau, however, said the Penal Code underwent review and the Law Commission came up with its Report in 2000.
“In that Report, the Commission recommended to Government to empanel another special Law Commission to review comprehensively the sections dealing with termination of pregnancy after clearly acknowledging the need to do so.
“The Report, which is the subject of the present controversy, is the result of the work of this other Commission which focused on issues of unsafe termination of pregnancy. This Report is yet to be submitted to Cabinet through the Minister of Justice for Cabinet’s consideration. This has not been done at this stage. It is important to emphasize that Reports of the Law Commission are merely recommendations to Government. It is the prerogative of Cabinet to adopt or reject any recommendations originating from the Law Commission,” he said/
Ndau said any information that there is an abortion Bill ready for debate in parliament is “misleading.”
But faith groups argued that the pro-life demonstrations were organised because life, family and marriage are under direct attack.
The organisers called the event ‘historical’
“We cannot install a culture of death in our country,” said one of a Catholic Christian who joined people donning all white t-shirts in the ‘march for life’.
“I marched to say yes to life,” Tarcicius Mbewe said.
EAM general secretary Reverend Francis Mkandawire and ECM counterpart Father Henry Saindi, said it was important to note that people support ‘pro-life’ advocacy.
Women’s rights activists and champions of safe motherhood, argue that giving women more reasons to safely terminate pregnancies in health facilities will reduce maternal deaths and costs of treating complications of unsafe abortions.
However, pro-life agents, especially religious leaders, say this will promote killing. They preach that life begins at conception,
Ministry of Health estimates that government spends up to K300 million annually treating almost 70 000 who seek post-abortal care every year.
Keith Lipato, a nurse-cum-midwife in Mulanje, finds the existing law gender-biased, saying it “favours impregnators” who die of abortions.
He laments: “If you and I end up with an unwanted pregnancy today, we will quickly find tablets to eliminate it safely. But what will a helpless, rural girl use? Sticks? Wires? Poisons?”
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
Kodi mumadziwa kuti a Mayi ake a President Robert Mugabe anapatsidya mimba ndi wa ntchito woweta ng’ombe?Anali Mmalawi.Anamuchotsa ntchito,Kodi akanataya mimbayo,lero comrade Mugabe tikanamudziwa.Many great people that we have today, were born out of untold circumstances and misery.God doesn’t make mistakes.Abortion is EVIL to HELL with it.
Poorly attended demonstrations have shown that most people in Malawi are in support of the Abortion Bill. Shame on the Catholic church ECM and EAM you have realised that you do not have support with your bigoted march. As a Roman Catholic woman I want abortion to be legalised! The church and all those men in robes do not help us bring up children.
You must be one JEZABEL.check your spiritual life,you are just a catholic by tradition not by FAITH.
MALAWI A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY. MALAWIANS PEACEFUL PEOPLE. LET US SOBER UP AND FIND A BETTER SOLUTION TO DEAL WITH EVIL CALAMITY BEFALLING US. WE CAN DO BETTER IF WE STAND TOGATHER IN ONE NESS OTHER THAN BEING EMOTIONAL ON SOCIAL NETWORKS. ABORTION IS EVIL. ….PERIOD!
MLOMWE kkkkkkk be sober don’t attack personalities bring facts. The fact is Abortion is a deadly sin. We will never allow it. If my mum had aborted ooooooooooooh amfana anga sakanabadwa
Ndikadzamwalira ndi mimba kapena panthawi yobereka, ndekuti Mulungu wavomereza. Ananena kuti tidzafa ndithu koma sananene kuti when or how?
Malawians, following teachings by the Church blindly. Adapt an abortions law that is relevant to the severe poverty that defines our country. Think about who cares for the children. The Church?
Last time I checked, it was the parents and relatives; and the Church was just after monetary benefits such as tithe.
Give us an example of a modern society that got destroyed because of allowing women to abort?
None. Let women make decisions that are in their best interest, so that they can get on with life.
Look at all the leaders marching in these demos – almost all MEN. Down with patriarchy!
The article is so biased! The ending is so scary- what does the rural women to abort?! Answers- ‘sticks, wires and poisons! So what should we do to avoid this?! Answer- safe abortion law?! Bishops, Priests, Reverends, Apostles, Prophets and other religious bigots go rooting and marching instead of reflecting on the best alternative! Religion as we religate logic!
Gist of The Matter
As Christians – I mean those that are in a relationship with Christ and His Word, faith in the WORD must also be matched with action (works). I mean it is in order for them to go out there and proclaim what it is that Christ has spoken, so that they can exonerate themselves from a proverbial foolish watchman who having seen a robber coming chose not to raise an alarm or blow a trumpet until the robbery was accomplished. We are living in evil days and we need people that can put on the wholistic armour and stand the vile of the deceiver (it could mean imperialism or foreign domination). This is not the time to hide behind some political correctness and be neutral about a value; there is simply no sitting on the fence, in some non-allied movement (NAM) fashion, popularized by Third World countries who did not want to antagonize their relationships with either the West or East Asia in the Era of Cold War. Remember the famous mantra “Dziko losagwera munkhani za eni?” In the issues of sanctity of life and marriage, it is either you are cold or hot – a lukewarmer attitude or standpoint is not a choice.
The marchers have a commission and mission to fulfill by going out there to bring the message of remembrance to the world about the meaning of life, and fundamental principles, and the desecration thereof. They have both a God given and constitutional right to speak to the world because when the sword is brought against a land, and there are chosen people of the land holding the watchman role, and when they see the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people and if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head – since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning. The marchers are watchmen who having seen the sword of destruction coming are doing the right thing to blow the trumpet to warn the people (call them law makers or human rights activists of doom); so that if their lives are taken, I mean eternally, it will have been taken after receiving the warning; the watchmen, defenders of faith, will be exonerated of any guilt and will not be held accountable – this is faith at work.
I for one, I strongly refuse to accept the tags, “safe versus unsafe abortion”. There is no such thing as safe abortion; safe is relative; issues of abortion and the meaning of marriage are existential and usually cut across the person’s physical, emotional/psychological, spiritual and social lives. If one wants to argue safety by the woman’s preservation of physical life when undertaking an abortion; how would one be able to measure the safety of emotional and spiritual well being in the aftermath of abortion? How would one measure the stigma and discrimination that may follow? There is a paradox of physical and psychological safety in issues of abortion that need not be dismissed. Safety physically does not equal to safety psychologically or spiritually. Abortion has psychosocial scars which tend to be much more enduring than are physical scars. I believe that Pregnancy Termination Guilt stand to haunt individuals in their twilights when faith begins to take a much more important dimension from the juvenile decisions of adolescence and early adulthood.
There is also a term often used as a pretext for legalizing abortion, “unwanted pregnancy”. In the breadth of this discussion and with the exception of rare cases of rape-pregnancies, no pregnancy can be deemed “unwanted” but rather “unexpected or unplanned”. Teenagers in their egocentric phase, know the consequences of unprotected sex is pregnancy – it’s just that they have a mythical and egocentric knowledge about sexuality and pregnancy sometimes i.e. one cannot get pregnant by having sexual intercourse once! In this case termination of pregnancy is mostly the fear of the consequences from the authority figures (parents) and rejection of responsibility by a man – for something which is supposed to be wanted but at a later time, which is procreation of human species. We need to be cognizant of the fact that the high rate of all so called “unwanted” pregnancies worldwide are NOT out of defilement/rape but “non-readiness” due to juvenile passion/lust and incompetent negotiation skills about sex. Therefore when the pregnancy comes – you take responsibility for it and learn from the mistakes. It is better to have the unexpected child than endure the long-lasting emotional and spiritual scars of abortion.
Conclusion
I affirm the right for people of faith to march in order to evangelize that which they believe in! I am not one that sits on the fence, I am PRO-LIFE and I am pro-marriage as man married to woman in accordance with nature. I empathize with those with unnatural desires but this does not stop me from pointing out this fact as unnatural! Yes I have shortfalls because there are some things that I want to do in life but I find myself not doing them and there are things I do not want to do and yet I find myself doing them; damned me! Yet I celebrate in the gift of this self-awareness, this conscience which energizes me towards doing the right thing that is edifying before God. It is high time we concentrated on strengthening the FAMILY (parenting) to bring up responsible children who can take responsibility of their actions. Parents have put too much trust in evolution-based social institutions to parent their children while taking a back-sit!! What do you do with a world where semi-naked celebrities have become children’s role models? Where the capitalistic agenda has been promoted above the moral agenda? You strengthen the family and help it to sober up!
I salute you mr Silungwe,to me you are a true PRO-LIFE defender.
I am a medical professional but I still uphold my Christian values, l believe life needs to be protected at all cost no matter what we might tell our selves there is nothing like safe abortions as long as there is death of another its no longer safe. Ndumanene Silungwe I love your comments very substanciated. I am Pro life
Mr. Chakaziwa, u dont know the shit u r talking about. Ana ambiri even m’manyumbamu amabadwa mwangozi. Mwinanso iwe ndi m’modzi mwa ana oterewa. Why were u not aborted? Bwanji tikuphe ngati suthawa. The best thing in life is life, let’s protect it.
I am for abortion when the woman’s life is in danger, on this one, i have no time to listnen to the church , i have to protect the life of the woman i know rather than the toddler i dont know.
Abortion is the same as killing a human being which is a death sentence so we can’t accept that. What the ECM and EAM have done is commendable. My only problem is the going on street, we can fast and pray and write a pastoral letter. But going to street mmmmh kaya. All in all no abortion kind of thing in this land. Life is so precious
Chakaziwa ndiwe chindele chomeni ukufunika pemphero amayi ako akanakutaya bwezi uli kuti .
SHAME TO MAULIDI MBUSA WADYERA NDE CHIFUKWA CHAKE TINAMUTHAMANGISA KU CHIWEMBE PANO TIMUTHAMANGISASO KU PRESB, AZIWONA
Kaya zanu izo. Ife tipitiriza kubosholako.
All we need is to preach the gospel and be transformed.
Damiano, what did Jesus do in the temple when He found the money changers? Sit back and pray? Faith in action and God in motion friend. Don’t let the devil rule us! We have JESUS as the ultimate King, even if to die in the streets proclaiming the gospel and saying No to sin before the public. We are not showing us off, but showing JESUS off to the mass that He hates sins. God won’t send the angels to do the work, it’s us Christians.
You faithheads, you are nothing, take your superstitious bullsh*t religion and stick it up your as*es. We don’t give a damn about your faith based beliefs meant for idiots, abortions are real and lots of women die! This is a fact, than your fictional Jewish zombie
Akuwayambawo ndiye amene anamenyela ufulu dziko lino akawafuse amene analiko and to be open zikatele zayambika kwatsala chikalata chituluke basi, akuluwa zoti mkudzawinaso ndakayika akuyamba mipingo yolakwika kwambiri anyway lets wait and c koma kuchotsa moyo wa munthu osabadwa its a sin to Jehove
Tiye nazoni a Malawi – paja zanu ndizomwezo (good at talking too much especially on social media) but doing little when it comes developing your own families – shame on you
who is greater, the unborn or born? there is nothing like unwanted pregnancy since ferilization is but a natural occurrence. noone forces fertilization so noone should induce pregnancy termination. even under circumstances of rape fertilization will be natural.
Well done spiritual leaders.
The Bible never specifically addresses the issue of abortion. However, there are numerous teachings in Scripture that make it abundantly clear what God’s view of abortion is. Jeremiah 1:5 tells us that God knows us before He forms us in the womb. Psalm 139:13-16 speaks of God’s active role in our creation and formation in the womb. Exodus 21:22-25 prescribes the same penalty—death—for someone who causes the death of a baby in the womb as for someone who commits murder. This clearly indicates that God considers a baby in the womb to be as human as a full-grown adult. For the Christian, abortion is not a matter of a woman’s right to choose. It is a matter of the life or death of a human being made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6).
The first argument that always arises against the Christian stance on abortion is “What about cases of rape and/or incest?” As horrible as it would be to become pregnant as a result of rape and/or incest, is the murder of a baby the answer? Two wrongs do not make a right. The child who is a result of rape/incest could be given in adoption to a loving family unable to have children on their own, or the child could be raised by its mother. Again, the baby is completely innocent and should not be punished for the evil acts of its father.
The second argument that usually arises against the Christian stance on abortion is “What about when the life of the mother is at risk?” Honestly, this is the most difficult question to answer on the issue of abortion. First, let’s remember that this situation is the reason behind less than one-tenth of one percent of the abortions done in the world today. Far more women have an abortion for convenience than women who have an abortion to save their own lives. Second, let’s remember that God is a God of miracles. He can preserve the life of a mother and a child despite all the medical odds being against it. Ultimately, though, this question can only be decided between a husband, wife, and God. Any couple facing this extremely difficult situation should pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) as to what He would have them to do.
Over 95 percent of the abortions performed today involve women who simply do not want to have a baby. Less than 5 percent of abortions are for the reasons of rape, incest, or the mother’s health at risk. Even in the more difficult 5 percent of instances, abortion should never be the first option. The life of a human being in the womb is worth every effort to allow the child to be born.
For those who have had an abortion, remember that the sin of abortion is no less forgivable than any other sin. Through faith in Christ, all sins can be forgiven (John 3:16; Romans 8:1; Colossians 1:14). A woman who has had an abortion, a man who has encouraged an abortion, or even a doctor who has performed one—can all be forgiven by faith in Jesus Christ.
hypocricy at its best! most of these church leaders have impregnated a number of girls and told them to abort the pregnancy for fear of damaging their reputation sometimes even compelling their daughters to do so to get rid of shame from their families, to them it is fine to do it in secret because they have money to do so though it is illegal but how about that poor girl who wants to do the same for her own reputation?( the fact that it is illegal it automatically becomes expensive) so if abortion becomes legal it will help that poor woman/girl somewhere to save her life because it will be done by professionals in public hospitals for free or at an affordable price other than they way it is now where ladies go for unsafe abortions, tikumakuonanitu anthu odzitcha opemphera inu mulibe chilungamo olo pang’ono ndi chifukwa chake most of your fore fathers were massacred because of your impaired reasoning and selfishiness, asatana mu mikanjo!
Privately, church fathers and priests have forced girls to abort when they impregnate them. This time they are in demos as if they don’t practice it secretly. It is common knowledge that every Malawian belongs to a faith group which discourages abortion. It is his or her spiritual feeling that will bar or allow this person to practice abortion or not. It does not need sheikhs, bishops, priests, father superiors to evade our streets just to tell us that abortion is bad. The organisers of these demos would have better done it at a pulpit when everybody in the prayer building would focus on why he is in that building at that particular time. There are also some in the demos who has just aborted last week but here they pose as they don’t do it. Abortion is bad generally but the organisers have just taken it with useless pomp. It will not help matters whether the bill will pass or not. Its a waste of time.
I am of the view that the Premise of the Law of Safe Abortion is very vague. Their arguments lack the Truth of Life. To say that because the girl is raped and gets pregnant and leave school. Then goes out to take sticks, and pills to abort it. Or saying they abort the Unwanted pregnancy. All these are lies from the devil. The truth of the matter is that All these are as a result of Sinful Acts and Punishable before God. The best way to save lives is through God’s word. If the Whole world think they can save human life through abortions, this is the highest order of foolishness. Much as I know that God is Love, but He will NOT sit back and smile at this sin. He is able to wipe out the Whole earth because of this foolishness. May I urge the Government to take hid of what Men of God have spoken NOT Law Reform Commissioners, these are but just sinful. KNOW THE HEART OF GOD. For God says in His Word : “BEFORE I FORMED YOU IN THE WOMB I KNEW YOU, AND BEFORE YOU WERE BORN I CONSECRATED YOU……….” JEREMIAH 1 V 5.
think chakaziwa u missed the point what you are saying is true people do remove pregnancies but it
doesn’t mean just because its being practiced then its legal its still a sin, we Malawians we don’t want to
legalize sin. I will give you an example people do drink beer they commit adultery why they don’t force the government to legalize it .If you want to practice it do it at your own but don’t let others sin with u in the name of Human rights.
ukufunika yesu iwe
Za ziiiiii
I agree with you Nkhulambe.
Cases of robbery, rape, smoking Indian hemp (chamba) just to mention but a few is the order of the day but they are still illegal.
Think of these cases:
1. A man whose family is dying of hunger and the only immediate means to survive is to steal.
2. An addict who can do nothing before smoking chamba,
3. A man who could not resist a temptation of a woman who after seducing him withdraws her intention to sleep with him but it is too late for him to withdraw himself and finds himself committing rape.
All these and more are outright crimes under our laws and there is no clear exemptions based on the cause of the crime or whatsoever.
However, courts have the mandate to decide on case by case basis.
WHY NOT LEAVE THE ABORTION ISSUE AS IT IS WITHOUT LEGALLY APPROVING UNNECESSARY AMENDMENTS IN THE CONSTITUTION?
Above All, IT IS SIN
NDANI AMADYA NDICHOLINGA CHOTI ASAKHUTE???
The remarks by government spokesperson could not be trusted. They have done that before, fooling the nation that such and such is not true but in the end we find it tabled in parliament or after parliament has rejected it we find it being implemented. Remember the sale of MSB, what were they saying after the opposition MPS vehemently rejected it? They implemented the sale. I will never trust this government. Their MPs just support the bill blindly without thinking about the implication of their actions. They are there to support their masters and have no conscious at all.
I am happy the message has been put across. Undisokosera nkulinga utamva.
Sex is natural but it is not natural when a girl is raped. A girl will loose school while a boy continue. Instead she will do a dangerous abortion which will read to death. Is this what churches want? A grown up girl die or unborn removed? Abortion has been and will be there whether it is illegal or legal. l illegal it leads to death. Even in old days women and girls have done abortion. Its not married women who do abortion. A married woman abort when the doctor see danger in her pregnancy. Most girls who do abortion are poor girls I. The villages or poor areas. Abortion is a class or status. We could avoid abortion if churches and government find a good solution. It’s stupid to say families are in danger when a woman do abortion. Married couple plan their family nowadays. Whether churches stop motion of abortion will go on.
Don’t insult us. some of us were from Rape. you mean our mothers could have just killed us before birth in the name of “safe abort?” every abortion leads to death. Give unborn Children a right to live.
Chakaziwa, the point is, abortion is a sin before the living God. It doesn’t matter whether it’s done by the rich, the poor, married or unmarried lady. It does not matter whether it has been or will be there but people should fear God who was there before anything was created and He will be there after everything is gone. A sin is a sin whether done by a king, president, or multitudes it’ll remain as such, you can’t decollate it.
Chikadziwa I would like to agree with you on this point as I quote from you “We can avoid abortion if churches and government find a better solution. ” but I disagree with your last part that abortion bill to continue no! LET CHURCHES TAKE A LEADING ROLE TO PREACH AGAINST THIS AND PEOPLE SHOULD ACTUALLY CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOURS. PASTORS PLEASE HELP US. PREACH AND PRAY AGAINST THIS EVIL TREND