:The ACDP has consistently opposed abortion legislation that in our view amounts to the murder of innocent preborn babies,” says the party in a press statement released on Monday.
More than 2 million babies have been legally aborted in South Africa since The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act (the COTP Act No. 92 of 1996) was passed by Parliament on October 31 1996, despite widespread opposition, and came into effect on February 1 1997, says the ACDP. “This is more than the number of deaths from crime and road accidents in the country over this period,” it says.
The statement notes that the ACDP has over the years introduced various private members bills to either stop or reduce the impact of abortion – including the Constitution Seventeenth Amendment Bill, 2006 (the Right to Life of the Unborn Child) and the Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Amendment Bill (B34-2017), both tabled by Cheryllyn Dudley MP.
“The Constitution Amendment Bill sought to amend sections 11 and 28 of the Constitution to ensure reasonable protection of the right to life of the unborn child. The second Amendment Bill included provisions relating to compulsory counselling by social workers and mandatory ultrasounds for every pregnant woman considering an abortion, and the deletion of the provision allowing abortion after 20 weeks, if there is a risk of injury to the foetus. Regrettably, both Bills were not supported by the ANC in Parliament.
“We also opposed provisions in the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act 32 of 2024, that would enforce the learner pregnancy policy through regulations which, when read with the COTP Act, allows learners access to abortions, shockingly without parental consent. In our view, besides undermining parental rights, this allows male predators (mostly teachers and so-called “blessers”) to avoid the consequences of their actions, such as statutory rape charges and claims for maintenance. This, whilst the learner may have to face the physical, psychological and emotional trauma of an abortion, possibly without her parents even having any knowledge of this procedure. Should there be a complication with the abortion procedure, and a further surgical procedure is required, this would then require parental consent – showing how ludicrous the statutory provisions are. They must be reviewed and repealed,” says the statement.
The statement commends crisis pregnancy centres that offer counselling and adoption services to pregnant girls and women “who often consider having abortions due to extreme socioeconomic conditions” and ,Africa Christian Action (ACA) which, on Monday, held its 29th annual March for Life to Parliament in Cape Town today to remember the millions of lives lost through abortion.
“The ACDP will be placing the abortion issue on its agenda for this year, demanding that the GNU and Parliament reconsider legislation and policies permitting the wholesale killing of preborn babies – a staggering estimated two million babies to date,” says the statement.
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” (Proverbs 31:8)
UK Christian peers seek abortion law amendments
Meanwhile, in Britain, Christian peers in the House of Lords have submitted amendments to abortion law, in a bid to scale back access to so-called “at home abortions” or “pills by post”, reports Premier Christian News.
Baroness Monckton has submitted an amendment to remove Clause 191 from the bill, which decriminalises any action by a woman in relation to her own pregnancy.
A separate amendment, brought by Baroness Stroud, seeks to reinstate the requirement for a face-to-face appointment with a medical professional before abortion pills can be prescribed for at-home use.This requirement was temporarily suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Supporters of the amendment argue that restoring in-person consultations would help reduce the risk of abuse and coercion, while ensuring that medical professionals can make accurate assessments of gestational age. However, pro-choice campaigners are concerned that removing the accessibility of abortions erodes a woman’s personal autonomy, over whether to carry to term.
Madeline Page, spokeperson for Right to Life UK told Premier Christian News that the current law is inconsistent on timescales when it comes to unborn children.
“In the same hospital, you could have a baby being born prematurely at 22 weeks being saved by doctors, and another at 23 or 34 weeks being aborted.”
She added that women who induce an abortion via pills by post could find themselves unprepared for a medical emergency.
“There can be a scary amount of blood [during the abortion]. It really depends. But if it was happening in a clinical setting, while it’s still unsafe for the baby, at least, then that woman has got access to the clinical care that she needs. Also, if she is over the 10-week gestational limit, then obviously she wouldn’t be allowed to have that type of abortion, and something that’s more appropriate can be given rather than having this abortion at home.”
Page added that for many, the issue is one of faith and principle: “As Christians we are called to care for the vulnerable… [I think] that includes the unborn.”
Please help us to keep on publishing news that brings Hope in Jesus:
>> Donate >> Become a Super Subscriber
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/gatewaynews100
COMMENTING GUIDELINES
You are welcome to engage with our articles by making comments [in the Comments area below] that add value to a topic or to engage in thoughtful, constructive discussion with fellow readers. Comments that contain vulgar language will be removed. Hostile, demeaning, disrespectful, propagandistic and off-topic comments may also be moved. This is a Christian website and if you wish to vent against Christian beliefs you have probably come to the wrong place and your comments may be removed. Ongoing debates and repetitiveness will not be tolerated. You will also disqualify yourself from commenting if you engage in trolling.
