Various Religious Denominations in the country have agreed that abortion is an act of killing nevertheless. This was mentioned during the interreligious press conference convened at Peace Plan.
Religious leaders insisted on the fact that aborting is killing an innocent child who would become a beneficial person to the society.
This comes in response to the new law on abortion which provides for abortion right in special instances.
Bishop Smargade Mbonyintege, of kabgayi diocese, said “we have no power to alter its legalization; however as Christians we will express our views and we will show how it is a crime nonetheless”.
Mbonyintege said that abortion is a sin punished by God, and intentional assisted abortion is punished by the medical codes.
“Life is God given, and he is the only one to take it away. Man is not merely body, but consciousness also” adds bishop Mbonyintege.
He also referred to the penal codes of the approved article 165 by the parliament, but not yet signed on by the president of Rwanda, absolves that criminal liability for a woman who aborts and a medical doctor who assist a
woman in aborting should be in the following four conditions:
- When a woman is pregnant as a result of rape
- In case of forced marriage
- When there is Incest in the second degree
- When continuation of the pregnancy endangers the health of the unborn babyor that of the pregnant woman.
He says again that if they want to legalize it, a referendum should be the means to seek public opinion. For Christianity is 96% total population. He said that he doesn’t think they would vote for it.
Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje, said that the annual 60.000 abortion cases should be pre-prevented, the same for rape, without necessarily legalizing abortion. He said on the contrary, it would increase the annual abortion.
“As Rwanda discarded the death penalty, abortion should also penalized’’ says archbishop Osphore.
In a letter by catholic Episcopal church in Rwanda to Christians in rwanda, it says, “we are strongly opposed to the so called Maputo treaty’’
It also says that they once wrote a letter to the president of the republic of Rwanda on 17 January 2007 showing their concerns once abortion is legalised.
Talking to the population, different people said that abortion in relation to the above mentioned conditions would benefit those who do not fit in the prescribed conditions.
After all it is almost impossible to know who aborted as a result of rape. Since many are used to sexual intercourse.
It will also cause psychological problems, since those who commit abortion do always have that guilt in their hearts.
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