The government of Malawi appears to be giving into pro-abortion pressures to pass “safe abortion” legislation, the Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues (PNCI) reports in its latest briefing.
The Coalition for Prevention of Unsafe Abortion (COPUA) has drafted a bill for Malawi’s parliament to permit legal abortion in government hospitals and medical facilities, claiming that legalised abortion will save lives. Ministry of Health, Head of Reproductive Health Unit, Lastone Chikoti said Malawi needs to address the problem of “unsafe” abortion in order to meet Millennium Development Goal 5, the reduction of maternal deaths, and stated that the current post abortion care treatment hospitals provide is far more expensive than “safe” abortion.
A Malawi New Agency (Mana) reporter seeking public opinion found a resounding opposition among citizens to legalizing abortion in their country.