With tens of thousands of unborn children being killed in their country every year, bishops from Nigeria are speaking out loudly against their government's plan to perpetuate a culture of abortion.
Roman Catholic bishops from the African nation recently came out with a communique after a three-day conference, where they warned Nigeria's health minister against removing the law against abortion in the country just to please foreign non-governmental organisations.
Among the top members of the clergy who signed the statement were Archbishop Gabriel Abegunrin and Bishop Felix Ajakaye.
According to a report on Life Site News, the statement "condemned the recent move by the Minister of Health, Prof. [Isaac] Adewole in collaboration with the foreign agencies to commit the federal government to increasing the culture of contraception and subsequently, abortion among our people."
A local newspaper identified the "foreign agencies" referred to in the communique as "pro-abortion" organisations like the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Ipas, Society for Family Health and even the United States Agency for International Development. The paper also stressed that the idea to legalise abortion started from these groups and not from Nigerian politicians.
Some 20,000 to 44,000 babies are being killed every year in Nigeria, where abortion is allowed when two doctors agree that the child's life need to be ended because it poses risk to the life of the mother.
At the same time, the Nigerian Catholic bishops also criticised their government for its policy of distributing contraceptives to the public.
"The policy is being done all in the name of providing better maternal health and empowering our people. We see such moves as deceptive to our people and harmful to moral values and we ask Nigerians to reject them," the bishops said in the statement.
They also reminded the Nigerian government that the state's money is better spent on other pressing concerns of the poor.
"Our youth and women need better power supply, potable water, good roads, better health and educational institutions more than these contraceptives. Our country must reject this relentless offer of anti-life incentives under the guise of foreign aid in order not to destroy our beautiful culture," the bishops said.
