Lagos heeds Catholic objection, plans more consultation
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Lagos has suspended its abortion guidelines the Catholic Church knocked as facilitating the killing of unborn babies through the back door, a sin The Bible condemns as murder (Exodus 20:13; Matthew 5:21).
Genuine Christians in other denominations also oppose abortion, believing the Word of God that life on earth begins at conception and must not be terminated by anyone, because God says it is murder, which leads to hell (1 John 3:15; Revelation 21:8).
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu directed the suspension of the “State Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications” issued by the Directorate of Family Health and Nutrition in the Ministry of Health.
Sanwo-Olu said the guidelines will not be implemented until there is adequate deliberation, public sensitisation, and stakeholder consensus, according to a statement issued by Health Commissioner Akin Abayomi.
“Among the several factors that contribute to maternal mortality, illegal abortions and high-risk pregnancies leading to unresolvable complications rank high.
“The Lagos State Ministry of Health is seeking different methods to eliminate illegal abortions and ensure that a mother does not die at childbirth, thereby disrupting an entire family unit,” the statement explained.
“In this regard, it became imperative to examine, in keeping with existing National and State laws and policies, if there are indeed justifications and medical reasons to offer abortion to a woman whose life is threatened by a pregnancy.
“Following this, the guidelines were developed over four years through painstaking work by experts in Law and in Obstetrics and Gynaecology with a focus on creating the opportunity to reduce maternal mortality and in line with existing laws.
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Immense public interest
“These guidelines have generated immense public interest which has necessitated escalating it to Mr Governor, who has advised further sensitisation of the public and key stakeholders to ensure a clearer understanding of the objectives of the guidelines,” the statement added, per The PUNCH.
“To this end, we are suspending the implementation of these guidelines in the meantime for the Executive Council to deliberate on this matter and ensure adequate public sensitisation and stakeholder engagement to reach a consensus required for successful guideline development.
“The Lagos State Ministry of Health remains committed to planning, devising, and implementing policies that promote qualitative, affordable, and equitable healthcare services to the citizenry.”
Every human life must be protected
The abortion guidelines were released on 29 June and four days later on 3 July, Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Adewale Martins, urged Sanwo-Olu to stop their implementation.
Martins insisted the argument put forward by the Lagos State Ministry of Health for the guidelines was a means of legalising abortion through the back door.
He said all stakeholders were not consulted and the guidelines are not only unjustifiable but also unacceptable as they create room for indiscriminate abortion.
He wondered why Sanwo-Olu seemed eager to legalise abortion at a time when the United States and other developed countries are reviewing their positions on the legalisation of abortion as seen in the recent judgment of the US Supreme Court.
Martins spoke up in a statement he issued through Lagos Archdiocese Social Communications Director, Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu.
“The Catholic Church and all ethically-minded people oppose all forms of abortion procedures whose direct purpose is to terminate the life of a baby in the womb.
“The unborn child has the right to live and be protected and not to be killed by the fiat of an unjust law,” the statement said.
“We believe strongly that every human life must be respected and protected especially the most vulnerable ones in the womb from the moment of their conception.
“There is nothing like an unwanted child because every child is a gift from God that should be nurtured and allowed to grow in fulfillment of their purpose in life.
“We need to continue to explore ways of providing support for those women who find themselves in difficulty as a result of their pregnancy rather than thinking of aborting a child who is innocent of the difficulty that the mother may be going through.
“Any attempt to terminate the life of the unborn child is tantamount to murder and should be treated as a capital offence.
“Our focus, therefore, should be on proper enlightenment on human sexuality and collaboration in order to support women who get pregnant without being ready for the pregnancy.”
