Boko Haram: Reject abortion option for 214 rescued pregnant women, group urges FG

The Director-General, Project for Human Development (PHD), Mr Jerry Okwuosa, on Friday urged the Federal Government to declare the plight of rescued pregnant women a national emergency.

Okwuosa, who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, said the government should also reject the proposed abortion option.

The PHD director-general was reacting to the abortion option by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

NAN reports that the Nigerian Army recently rescued no fewer than 800 women and children from the Sambisa forest in Borno with some of them confirmed to be pregnant.

It will be recalled that Prof. Babatunde Osotemehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, while briefing newsmen recently indicated that 214 of the rescued women were pregnant.

UNFPA and some foreign NGOs had suggested that the rescued pregnant women be sent to abortion clinics to have their babies aborted as activities geared toward rehabilitating them women.

He said that funds should be channelled toward providing shelter, maternal healthcare to rehabilitate and help the women and their children re-integrate into the society.

According to him, the abortion option is condemnable as it only revisits violence with more violence, that is, it kills the unborn baby and maims the mother.

``The UNFPA`s abortion option is geared toward depopulation control as the primary interest of the organisation is population control.

``Or can one explain that after the sufferings from physical and sexual violence which these women and girls have undergone, rather than coming up with how best to help these deeply wounded mothers, all UNFPA could offer is abortion.

``Pregnancy is not a disease nor has it become a disease that is cured by killing an unborn child.

``Abortion is illegal in Nigeria, it denies the unborn baby the right to life and every life has a value beyond measure and a purpose which only time can reveal.

``A state of emergency was declared on Ebola and we were able to conquer, the same should be applied to the plight of these pregnant women and girls.

``If this issue is declared a national emergency, funds geared toward the fight of terrorism in the country, should be extended to take care of these women.

``The pregnant women should be offered free healthcare in maternal homes and rehabilitation centres where they could go to give birth safely.

``And if for any reason they do not want to keep the babies, they could give them out for adoption,’’ he said.

Mr Demola Fowler, the Board Chairman of PHD, told NAN that welfare services to rehabilitate the pregnant women should be suggested rather than the abortion option.

Fowler said the unborn babies had a right to life and government should defend and protect these lives because they were defenceless.