‘The noes have it’: Abortion bill misscarried as Malawi MPs reject its tabling!
The much-awaited motion on the Termination of Pregnancy Bill was rejected by members of parliament on Thursday from being tabled in the House and it was removed from the revised Order Paper, an outline of business to be tackled in Parliament.
The motion to debate the bill was moved by Chitipa MP, Werani Chilenga who asked the House to allow Parliamentary Committee on Health chairperson Matthews Ngwale to table a motion to facilitate the tabling of the Termination of Pregnancy (Private Members’) Bill.
But when First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Madaliso Kazombo had put the question to the House, almost all MPs shouted “No” and the Deputy Speaker said “The Noes have it”. Motion was rejected from being presented.
Mwanza Central legislator Nicholas Dausi said bill should not be allowed in the august House because it stands against the values of the society.
In his own submission, Dausi said “women should not be allowed to kill.”
Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda said it is up to the opposition to handle the issue since the motion was coming from their side as Ngwale is independent MP but aligns with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The Chiradzulu West legislator.said there is still room to have the motion presented in the House during the current Mid-Year Budget Review Meeting of Parliament.
Meanwhile, concerned youths gathered outside Parliament- a distance away from the entrance in support of the motion that will facilitate tabling of the bill.
Security officers refused the youths to stand at the entrance of the Parliament.
Chimwemwe Mlombwa from She Decides Malawi said she is “shocked and disappointed” that the 43 women in Parliament did not see the bills as a maternal health issue “as we are losing lives of women every single day.”
Women Caucus of Parliament chairperson Lonnie Chijere Phiri said the caucus was willing to support it “if presented.”.
The proposed law provides that in the case of rape, incest or defilement, the woman would first have to report the matter to police to be eligible for termination of the pregnancy.
Several faith groups have recently spoken against the Bill. They include the General Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Evangelical Association of Malawi, Public Affairs Committee and Muslim Association of Malawi.
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These guys don’t bear the pain.Its so expensive to manage a single abortion done illegally,consequences range from sepsis and death.They consider positively saving the unborn & unknown other than the living who is the bearer ,not by will but circumstantial angle.We might think we are faithful enough that we don’t kill but what you do to citizens is more than this.We think we are saint enough but alas!
People lauding the MPs for blocking this bill would be shocked to learn that some of these same loud MPs have actually procured abortions in the past (either for themselves or their girlfriends). There’s a lot of hypocrisy in this world.
Pushing a bill which you know will fail is a waste of resources: When you’re faced with a bad law which you know many people will want to maintain just for appearances, you change the policy instead. Even during the Kamuzu days, Govt hospitals were treating women and girls who had had abortions. This is the time I heard about the term “D&C” in conversations between my mother and older sister.
Circumventing bad laws through common sense policy happens throughout the world. In the US for example most Immigration Laws are very tough but both Republican & Democratic administrations come up with policies that serve their preferences. Here in Malawi we have policies on suicide, capital punishment, consensual gay relationships, pornography AND abortion that may not align completely with existing laws but serve the needs of the times.
For example our laws still cite a suicide attempt as a crime, but how many suicide attempt survivors are actually tried in a court of law? Pornography is only treated as a crime if you try to make a profit from it: Private use is quietly ignored, although that’s not what the law says. The people who want to secure safe abortions should have spent their resources on engaging Govt to refine it’s policy, instead of trying to change the law.
Hypocritical Malawian MPs are not going to change the law, just like they are not going to strike down the death penalty. Instead, Presidents since 1994 do not sign death warrants, meaning that although the death penalty law still remains on the statute books, in effect it is life imprisonment…
Women when you are raped please go to police and hospital, you will be assisted. ALSO TAKE CONTRACEPTIVES. No killings in Malawi. Bravo members of parliament.
Do you realise some are children and are typically threatened by the rapists especially when it’s family. Musamathe mawu kuchitira mawa.
so are we allowed to rape. But it’s happening anyway.
This is concerning that the lives of women are being decided by old men who are sticking to old traditions and ignoring the reason why this issue was raised in the first place. Malawi is a backward-thinking country built on archaic values that are detracting the country from progressing.
Mubwele kunja muzatsegule manso and you will realise kuti those old traditions are better than being fools
The MPs have done a great job. Malawi is an advanced free nations. Rejecting a bill on abortion does not make us backward, in fact it makes us prudent and reformative. If this bill were given to a referendum , it would be defeated and rejected in the same manner the parliamentarians have done.
Unwanted pregnancies can do more harm to the social fabric of the country, children abandoned, child beggers, child crimes. Until Government impliments child financial benefits and safety nets women will continue to seek out unsafe abortions. Shame with all the money being spent on gender based violence Government continues to disrespect the Right of a Woman to choose.
They shouldn’t make a baby from first time
why assume that all pregnancies are from willing people. 13 year olds are being raped and impregnated
Where does the un wanted come from and who told us kuti tonse tizabadwa njira zofana ena tinabadwa chifukwa mayi anthu anagwiliridwa
I hope your daughter/ granddaughter gets raped
They people who are struggling to have children it’s their chance to adopt the abandoned children. Kusiyana ndinyansi ndi usatana wochotsa mimba. Everyone child deserves right to live. Unless if there’s gross malformation. Threatening the life of the mother etc termination should be conducted with 3 signatory from Medical doctors not any otherwise.
Unwanted pregnancies are mostly a result of Wanted Sex.
Malawi chooses poverty once again. How is it the church don’t campaign outside military barracks against murder, but they are happy to deny women the right to abort a forced pregnancy.
Ha ha ha ha ha! Childish reasoning…kkkkkkkkk
Iiiii olo mutakana kuvomereza bill olo not even tabling, alipo lololo ochotsa mimba. Panopa mimba zikuchotsedwa daily. Apa timangofuna authority. Our MPs should move with recent times
If God did not authorize to kill, then who can authorize it.
Is killing the only sin. A country full of thieves. Sex yokhayo is a sin. So don’t pretend to he holy here
Then let those who are aborting do so with the authority they have.
Sure, let us continue with enjoying sex and aborting but remember, most of us may not have been in existence and contributing to the debate had we been aborted by selfish mothers
How would you tell that this is a rape,incest or defilement pregnant?Lets not copy and paste everything what these Western countries are doing.Am glad that most reasonable MPs have rejected the bill.
We already have banja la mtsogolo which provides abortions in almost every town or district. That’s it, no need to change existing laws, ngati wadya ndrama zaku Ireland pita kabwezeni
That’s the problem. Abortion is going to happen whether or not it is legal. At least if it is legalised it will mean that women have less chance of dying during the procedure.
Koma Malawi eh clingning to colonial laws forced to us by Azungu not long ago. And then we claim kuti chaning these laws goes against our culture and tradition. Zopusa basi
Braindead country
The laws are clear on this and there are exceptions to it. Why worry? Government takes care of exceptional cases and Doctors are ready to assist. Osati chiwerewere mwapanga nokha munavomera, ndiye poti mwatenga mimba ndikumati mutaye. Zimenezo ndi za usatana.
No need to discuss life, all conceived babies must be allowed to test the beauty of life outside a womb. Bravo our MPs for rejecting the evil bill. Osamalolera zopusa.
Why is Parliament refusing to discuss the issue? They represent various sections of society therefore denying to discuss disenfranchise one section of society. Where is democracy here?
All the resources (people, time, money etc) spent preparing that bill should probably have been used in preparing a bill that would enable unfortunately pregnant underages get special education in order to secure their future and tackle their psycho-social concerns, or some bill that would seek enhancement of agricultural production, food security, trade opportunities, or the one that would regulate education provided in Malawi for effectiveness to the economic needs of the country, for instance, instead of a standard six pupil memorizing how many legs a grasshopper has, they should rather learn how to improve soil drainage in order to produce more beans. They could even be exploring about some official use of local language (that’s accessible to the majority of Malawians); they could propose starting the roll out in parliament so that many Malawians can participate in following the parliament proceedings, because there are even reports of some MPs battling to participate. Reason?
Language. Now, it seems there are a lot of vocal NGOs that are not necessarily advancing the priorities of the country in the present state; they are not in tune with the nation’s priorities, so these NGOs probably need to be regulated and not be allowed to cause brawl by inducing formulation of unpopular bills, but then, that would be somewhat undemocratic and oppressive, an infringement on rights of freedom of association, freedom of expression, and many other freedoms including that of obtaining money from foreign agencies who promote globalization of liberal views. That is why the bolt is getting more tight, the labour cramps are getting more frequent, and going more tough. Who, the one, is really able?
Malawi’s democracy is really growing, thumbs up for the learned MPS who refused to table this stupid bill from the society of the sex workers.
Democracy is in tabling the bill, not denying certain people a chance to even be heard
He decides is in support of the decision by Honourable MPs. Bravo our Parliamentarians osazayelekeza kupanga makani ndi MULUNGU ati chifukwa kuli SHE DECIDES mudzayankha mulandu pamaso pa Mulungu.
KKKK KOMA MUFUNE MUSAFUNE ABORTION IKUCHITIKA NDITHU KOMA WE NEED SELF ABORTION BASI , MUKUNENA CHOCHO INU
This is terrible. Surely you cant force rape victims to keep pregnancies when they dont want to. Imagine cases like the Mzimba girl being defiled by her father. One was even given hiv. Surely they deserve an option. This also stems from not appreciating mental health issues. It also stems from having semi literate Mps who also don’t understand the content
It also stems from the same people of religious conviction that will tell us all life is sacred, but we should kill homosexuals.
The men making this decision will feel very little impact from it and not appreciate the suffering that impoverished women and rape victims have to go through with an unwanted child. Have any MPs looked at studies where they have examined the effect of making abortion illegal? Not one. The ignorance to these poor women’s plight in Malawi will not go unnoticed forever.
Olooooo! Tizibosholabeeeee!
Chimwemwe Mlombwa just shut up. Why do you want to portray pregnancy as a thing that comes out so rampant like weeds. Instead fight for women not to indulge in the process that leads to pregnancy. Rape vs normal or concessional pregnancy, why should a small proportion of rape overrule the normal process. We are tired of this silly excuse.
NDIPO SITIKHALA CHETE AYI NDITHU COZ MUMAYAMBITSASO INU NOMWE KUTI PITA CHACHOTSE MIMBA RELO MUSAKHALE NGATI ANTHU ANGWIRO YET WE ARE LOOSING WOMEN ON THIS ISSUE