Abortion giant Planned Parenthood is throwing its weight behind proposed legislation in Kenya that would legalize abortion-on-demand, for any reason, up to birth.
The Reproductive Healthcare Bill states that a pregnancy may be terminated (with no time limit) by a trained health professional where in the opinion of the trained health professional “the pregnancy would endanger the life or health of the mother.”
As LifeNews.com observes, while this language may appear to narrowly restrict abortion, “in practice it will likely allow for abortion on demand to be available up to birth in Kenya through a broad interpretation of the term ‘health.’”
The international NGOs who are backing this bill “have used a legislation change model in a number of other countries where they have lobbied for a law change, which in practice introduces abortion on demand, for any reason.”
In the case of Ghana, for instance, where legislation with similar wording was passed, materials were published alongside the law instructing healthcare professionals “to take a very broad interpretation of what appears to be similar restrictive wording,” LifeNews.com said, which “has in practice allowed abortion for any reason, on-demand.”
Along with allowing healthcare workers broad leeway in determining when to perform an abortion, the bill also stipulates a three-year jail sentence for any health professional who conscientiously objects to being complicit in the abortion process and refuses to refer the patient to another health professional willing to provide an abortion.
A significant majority of Kenyans oppose abortion, suggesting that this provision in the legislation “could have a very wide negative impact, forcing many health professionals to act against their conscience, or for a likely large group of health professionals who do not wish to be complicit in the abortion process, this would mean they face jail time,” LifeNews.com notes.
Other groups are also addressing the issue:
87% of Kenyans do not support abortion on demand and 82% of Kenyans believed abortion to be morally unacceptable. 👏
Despite this, the country could introduce abortion up to birth, under radical Bill pushed by international abortion organisations. 😨 https://t.co/l5wneuVjVI
— Right To Life UK (@RightToLifeUK) July 22, 2020
Planned Parenthood Global has joined a number of other international abortion activists in pushing for the adoption of this legislation in Kenya.
In a joint statement, the 26 groups have called on the state to pass the proposed legislation and “facilitate the realization of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.”
The statement alleges that “vulnerable women and girls bear the brunt of misinformation on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights as provided for by the Laws of Kenya thus gravely impacting their Socio-Economic status.”
Pro-life activist Ella Duru told Right To Life UK that the push for the new abortion legislation is “a brazen attempt by Western abortion organisations to impose abortion, for any reason, up to birth on Kenya.”
“To have these well-funded overseas organisations spending lots of money to try and force abortion on Kenya when 87% believe it is morally unacceptable is a form of ideological colonialism,” she said.
While permitting abortion in certain cases, the Kenyan constitution states that “Every person has the right to life” and that “The life of a person begins at conception.”
Planned Parenthood took steps this week to distance itself from its founder Margaret Sanger, a notorious racist and eugenicist.
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