STATEMENT
Our dear members and partners of the Liberian Press, I am very elated and enthused to speak to you, Civil Society Movements (CSOs), our revered Religious and Traditional leaders, the student populations in Grade schools and tertiary institutions, our entire urban and rural communities across the entire country and sundry, on this very crucial, sensitive cultural and modern discourse and practice of “Extreme Abortion” in Liberia.
At the commencement of a 3-day Anti Extreme Abortion Campaign/Awareness, on today, November 15, under the theme: “Protecting Life and Family”, at which our Keynote Guest Speaker, from the United States of America (USA)/Europe Pro-Life families and more than 30 local stakeholders, across several denominations and links including Muslim and civil society leaders, affirmed their categorical and unequivocal stance against an imminent Extreme Abortion Bill that is underway to be passed by our outgoing 54th Legislature, most of whom have just been rejected by the Liberian people at the recently concluded October 10, 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections.
On November 15, the first day of the campaign at the New Water in the Desert Assembly APC in Brewerville, Montserrado County, Bishop Kortu Brown, who is the immediate Bishop emeritus of the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC) and Lead Facilitator of this campaign, during the first and very inspiring, informative and interactive workshop forum conducted by the Keynote speaker from the USA, Dr. Monique, retorted that “while the 1976 Public Health Law introduced the Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE) in Liberia, it has remained much dormant in practice. But the Ministry of Health working in collaboration with other partners, is vigorously championing the passage of such a Bill that is meant to destroy the lives of our unborn babies and children, in Liberia, very recklessly and irresponsibly.”
He further went on to state that “regrettably as the ‘Gay campaign’ has brought a major divide in many churches, and torn apart many globally renowned and respected denominations that once held together into separate denominations, that is how this ungodly ‘Extreme Abortion’ Bill has come to further create more divisions in our Churches globally and in Liberia particularly. And this should be recognized as a devilish ploy to tear the Church and other religious communities apart – a spiritual fight we must all take very seriously as Church and religious leaders and robustly mobilise our various churches and denominations decisively towards, in prioritized and sustained fervent prayers and actions, from now onward.”
The unequivocal position of the Christian, Muslim and Religious communities in Liberia is that “Extreme Abortion” is unreligious, uncultured and ungodly. It is also a violation of the innate and inalienable “RIGHT TO LIFE,” which is the first Universal and Fundamental Human Right. We recognize that God, who is the sole creator of life, uncompromisingly abhors the wilful and reckless termination of the life of any one by another man, except for legal and life-threatening situations on either the life of the mother or unborn child. And we all know that life begins at conception, likewise, unborn children are human beings, and so, the passage of such an anti-cultural and ungodly law will mercilessly abuse the right of the unborn child and lead to many unforeseen emotional and psychological consequences in our deeply religious nation. In addition, the promotion of the Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE) in our schools, to as young as 7-10 years old children without proper direction would lead to sexual promiscuity (or “loose sex”), proliferation of the current and unfortunate menace of teenage pregnancy, high maternal mortality, sexually transmitted diseases, exploitation and abuse, grave psycho-social problems, etc., etc., etc.
Our Keynote Speaker, a renowned American stateswoman, gynaecologist, obstetrician and international conference speaker (among several other high profile leadership roles), Dr. Monique Wubbenhorst, shall be joining with us in Liberia, to robustly engage with the American Congress and government, (and along with other international high profile Pro-Life partners) to preclude the passage and imposition of such a law, which is destructive to health and our way of life, into the Liberian society. Dr. Wubbenhorst is USAID’s Former Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau of Global Health in the United States of America. She has 20 years’ experience as a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist with experience in international health, and policy and research in women’s health, etc.
The “Campaign to Stop Extreme Abortion” in Liberia extends inexpressible gratitude to Dr. Monique Wubbenhorst and the Church and Pro-Life families in the USA, Europe and Africa, for promptly responding to our clarion call in Liberia to help forestall the passage of this bill by raising awareness and training community leaders from across the 15 counties of Liberia to sensitize their communities and engage stakeholders including lawmakers, amongst others.
