Rochas Okorocha under fire for signing abortion bill into law

There’s an ongoing war between Imo State
governor, Rochas Okorocha and Catholic
Medical Practitioners Association over the
abortion bill, which the governor recently
signed into law.
The law, which was sponsored by the
Majority Leader and member representing
Ahiazu Mbaise state constituency, Mrs.
Adekunle Ihuoma, is to be cited as “Imo
State of Nigeria, Violence Against Persons
(Prohibition) Law Number 12 of 2012”.
It permits every woman to procure
abortion at will.
According to the new law, every woman
shall have the right to enjoy reproductive
rights, including rights to medical abortion
in cases of sexual assault, rape, incest and
where the continued pregnancy endangers
the life or the physical, mental,
psychological or emotional health of the
mother.
The law also states that “every
woman shall have the right to take
decisions about her health needs
and requirements.”
The law was very specific that a woman
“shall have the right to determine the
processes concerning reproduction in her
body.”
However, the decision of the state
government on the bill does not go down
well with members of the Catholic Medical
Practitioners Association, who have
described the law as anti-God.
Chairman of the association, Dr. Phillip
Njemanze, while reacting to the new law,
said “the law is anti-God, dehumanizing
and totally unacceptable to the association.”
“The law is devastating. With its signing into
law by Governor Okorocha, abortion has
been legalized in the state and anybody,
just anybody can now ask for abortion as a
right in the state.”
He recalled that the National Assembly had
earlier rejected the bill, especially as it was
against humanity, noting that the law would
encourage human trafficking.