The governments of Sweden and the UK are pushing for the legalization of abortion in Zimbabwe through a network of pro-abortion organizations. Sweden appears to be the main force funding NGOs lobbying for legal abortion in the southeast African nation. Critics are calling the campaign “foreign interference” and a blatant violation of Zimbabwe’s sovereignty. Polling from the World Values Survey in 2020 shows that around 85% of Zimbabweans oppose abortion.
“It is very concerning, but not surprising, to discover that the push for abortion in Zimbabwe is coming from other countries,” said Julie Glen-Williamson of Pro-Life Zimbabwe. “We know that Zimbabweans are overwhelmingly pro-life. But we do not force our values on other countries, so why do these countries feel entitled to interfere in our affairs? This is a kind of neo-colonialism.”
“UK polling shows that the UK’s Government’s decision to fund this lobbying is unlikely to be popular back in the UK, with 65% of the general population opposing taxpayer money going to fund abortions overseas,” she added. “We are calling for an urgent inquiry into why UK taxpayer funding has been used to interfere in foreign democracies to introduce radical changes to abortion legislation and an immediate end to funding of lobby teams who are trying to introduce extreme abortion laws overseas.”
The Termination of Pregnancy Amendment Act would, in practice, permit abortion on demand up to 20 weeks of pregnancy, and radically change Zimbabwe’s laws. The bill would, among other things:
The bill could also potentially threaten American foreign aid to Zimbabwe, as new guidance from the U.S. State Department listed subsidizing abortions “as well as the total estimated number of annual abortions” as a human rights violation.
Abortion is currently only permitted in Zimbabwe in cases where the mother’s life or physical health is in serious danger or in cases of rape or incest. Section 48 of Zimbabwe’s constitution mandates the “right to life” of “every person,” and further states that “An Act of Parliament must protect the lives of unborn children, and that Act must provide that pregnancy may be terminated only in accordance with that law.”
On November 21, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ conference also highlighted the impact of foreign groups in pushing for abortion.
“During this season of Advent, as Mary carries her unborn child, we raise our alarm at attempts by foreign organisations to force the evil of abortion upon our people and upon our culture of respect for all forms of life,” they wrote. “We encourage all people of goodwill, especially our public representatives, to resist this pressure to withdraw protection from the most vulnerable members of our community, the unborn citizens of our community.”
The Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations followed suit with a pastoral letter on November 29 that condemned the proposal in detail, concluding,
Zimbabwe has consistently upheld the sanctity of life. Our Constitution, culture, and shared spiritual values affirm this commitment. The proposed amendments to the Medical Services Bill would dismantle longstanding protections and introduce abortion on request into our nation. For the sake of our moral integrity and social stability, these changes must be rejected.
The amendment passed the National Assembly in October, and the Senate will vote on the amendment on December 16. If it passes, it will be sent to President Emmerson Mnangagwa for assent. Mnangagwa will have the option of sending it back to the legislature if he decides to oppose it.
This article was first published in the European Conservative and is printed here with permission