Suddenly, the Lagos State Ministry of Health woke up and released what it called guidelines, necessary for terminating unborn foetus over flimsy excuses in today’s world that is over stretched with so many vices, of which the unborn child is the least. This is not the first attempt, to either legalise abortion or same sex marriage in the country. The former president, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan contended with these same forces who are at it again. He was able to overcome because the people said ‘no’ to such obnoxious and inhuman laws that seek to alter the course of nature. That Lagos State, the Centre of Excellence is championing the legalisation of abortion which is viewed expressly by man as an inglorious crusade, that is against God’s procreation plan, calls for vigilance.
Unconfirmed reports have it that those behind the latest move to legalise abortion in the state are foreign donor agencies that are working in connivance with gullible groups and persons in high places to have their way. The promoters of this faceless law at this time forgot that right from conception till delivery, the baby in the womb has as much right to life as any other human being. The Landmark Judgement and decision of the Supreme Court of the United States of America, which annulled the legalisation of abortion that began in 1973, supports the Church’s consistent opposition to such law anywhere, including Nigeria. According to a press statement from the Directorate of Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, signed by Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, rejected the claim by Dr. Olusegun Ogboye that all stakeholders were consulted before the state arrived at the 40-page guidelines on safe termination of pregnancy. As the Archbishop said, the issue of abortion touches very much on ethical and religious sensibilities of the people and that religious bodies were not consulted, neither were the millions of Catholics who have always maintained their strong opposition to legalisation of abortion in any guise.
The baby in the womb is a person that is distinct from the mother, even though he or she is in the mother’s womb, and so, not even the mother has the right to kill it, talk less of the government purporting to give legal backing for their murder. 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 life and should be protected, not to be killed by the fiat of unjust law. We believe strongly that every human life must be respected and looked after, especially the most vulnerable ones in the womb from the moment of their conception. We are mindful that the supporters of this obnoxious law would go toany length, even to the National Assembly, but one thing is certain; the life of an unborn child is not an easy one for the mother or any other person to dispense with. Such laws are strange and should not be allowed to see the light of day. This selfish ideology of reproductive or sexuality life as if the life of an unborn baby does not matter, raises the fundamental question of what has become of our humanity.
The Church’s position on this matter is clear, which is: NO! NO!! to abortion. The child in the womb is the creation of God and has the right to life like every other human being. Those promoting this law, whether in or outside government, unknown to them, are playing God. The Catholic Church is pro-life. We therefore call on the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to do everything he can to stop the implementation of these toxic guidelines on the so-called safe termination of pregnancies. Our society is plagued with myriads of problems that abortion guidelines should be the least of issues to divert our attention from the problems of economic, environmental and health challenges confronting the State of Excellence. Spending of public funds under the guise of consultation is not what the state wants at this time. The life of an unborn child should be respected, not only by the mother, but also by the society under any circumstance!