Please Don’t Abort Pregnancies Of Boko Haram’s Rape Victims – Bishops

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria has condemned suggestions by some stakeholders in the country, who have advocated that the pregnancy of some Boko Haram female victims, conceived through rape, should be terminated.

Chairman of the Health Committee of CBCN and Auxiliary Bishop of Abuja (Catholic Archdiocese), Most Rev. Anselm Umoren, stated this during a press conference on Monday in Abuja.

He queried how Nigeria would accept to visit such innocent children “with capital punishment” in the name of abortion for an offense they did not commit simply because their fathers were misguided 

religious and ideological bigots. Punch reports that the cleric said:

“Specifically, it is not tenable, the suggestion that killing the babies conceived through rape by the terrorists, is the most humane action to take in this instance. 

Since the babies are ignorant and innocent of the crimes – aggression, sexual assault, dehumanization – against their mothers, it is unethical to punish them for the sins and offenses of their erring fathers. 

”The organization however promised that when delivered, it would assist in the upbringing of the children through “support mechanisms” and “crisis pregnancy management centers.”

While expressing deep sorrow at the trauma endured by many Nigerians under the orgy of violence and terror by the Boko Haram sect, the CBCN said it opposed the “shallow arguments” being promoted by some individuals and groups, saying it meant repaying violence with an even more vicious violence.

The Bishops advised the victims to draw comfort from God, adding that the life of every baby is distinct, different and unique from that of their parents.