State House says Chakwera cannot stop abortion debate: MPs to consider to amend law
Parliament is set to discuss a Termination of Pregnancy bill which aims at expanding avenues for women to have safe abortion.
Speaking during the Weekly Briefings on Monday, presidential press secretary Brian Banda said the bill is coming in the House as a private member’s bill.
MP will debate, pass or reject the Bill to amend the existing Abortion Law so that termination of ‘unwanted pregnancies’ can be legalised to girls or women that are raped, imbeciles, or persons that are enticed and fall pregnant, among other groups, according to chairperson of a Parliamentary Committee on Health, Mathews Ngwale.
The bill has already courted controversy as it has divided opinion between those in its support and those against it.
However, Banda said the President believes in contact and dialogue and cannot stop the debate on the matter.
He added that those against the Bill should lobby members of Parliament to support their point of view.
The majority of induced abortion procedures in Malawi are performed under clandestine and unsafe conditions. Complications from abortions have been estimated to account for between 6% and 18% of maternal deaths in Malawi.
Abortion is only legal in Malawi to save a woman’s life. Obtaining an abortion for any other reason is punishable by 7–14 years in prison.
The current bill aims at providing more options for women who want to procure abortion.
But the faith groups that include Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) and Public Affairs Committee (PAC), maintained their position that any life, be it of unborn or born baby, is sacred.
According to Ngwale, owing to high maternal mortality rate, Malawi Law Commission (MLC) conducted a research and later made recommendations to Ministry of Health on what could be done if the maternal rate could be reduced.
He said the recommendations included the proposed amendments to the existing Abortion Law.
“The current law only allows doctors to save the life of a woman in danger to lose her life. But we want further exceptions; we want to expand the grounds on the same law,” he said.
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Another issue coming and which is being promoted by Ntambo is on same sex marriages. When he was in the civil society he used to promote gay and lesbian marriages. The government of Chakwera is satanic and no wonder th3y will allow killing of the unborn. To them killing is a past time activity that they have known throughout the years of their existence.
Why dont we give emergency pill to those affected. How many women shall be there lying that they have been raped or enticed?
The members are free to discuss it and the president is free not to consent to it 😉
This is why i dont like being a malawian. Too much bodza. We have real oressing issues to work on then somebody starts nkhani ya abortion…….anyway, tell.mw which hospital doesnt do abortions kwa atsikanawa??? Eeeeh. Amachita kuyika zikwangwani. So to me, this is already happening, no need to debate. Just get the bill.signed. dont waste our money. Whether you debate it or not we know its happening and nobody gets jailed for it. Please please…….lets focus on serious matters.
No need for debate. If Chakwera’s mother had aborted him, would he have been born?
was Chakwera s mother a victim.
Its against the law of God, its a curse to the nation, never try that. I Strongly disagree!
Women of Malawi deserve safe free Abortions until men are forced to care for their children. Until Children in primary school stop becoming pregnant, until when the countries population is stabilized this year will reach 20 million. Yet 2.6 million are failing to feed themselves. Birth Control is the Savior Malawi needs
Yes Yes Yes Yes this bill has to go through. Let women choose. some circumstances are beyond them.
Please allow these abortions. How can someone carry their rapists child and be expected to love them.
No abortion in this country, may be for those who are 10 years now. No abortion in Malawi. No copy paste in this country, it does not matter how much we may be offered. Kuchotsa MIMBA takana