Legalize abortion- MP Fox Odoi
West Budama North, Fox Odoi (pictured) has kick started a controversial debate on the unborn child’s right to life by calling on Parliament to legalize abortion. File Photo
What you need to know:
In his response, Minister Rukutana refused to delve into the matter saying Fox’s view is a matter that can be discussed as a country and as leaders
KAMPALA
As Parliament closes in on the much-anticipated constitutional amendment period, member for West Budama North, Fox Odoi, has kick started a controversial debate on the unborn child’s right to life—by calling on Parliament to legalize abortion.
While debating a Ministry of gender ministerial statement on the 16 days of activism against gender based violence campaign, Fox argued that the only way to curb the increasing teenage maternal deaths is by legalizing abortion.
The statement which was presented by junior gender minister, Mwesigwa Rukutana, noted that teenage pregnancies contributes to increased mortality rate which currently stands at 435 deaths per 100,000 live births as per the 2011 Uganda Bureau of Statistics.
Fox says the deaths are all because of having a “bad law” on our law books.
“You continue to lose lives because you choose to keep this law. We cannot continue to burry our heads in the sand. You cannot stop teenagers from having sex. Please legalize abortion because these young girls are dying from unsafe abortion because they know they are doing something illegal. There’s no way a child can be allowed to have a child,” he said.
According to article 22 (2) of the constitution of the Republic of Uganda, no person has the right to terminate the life of an unborn child except as may be authorised by law.
Mr Odoi’s call did not go down well with Sembabule Woman MP, Ms Anifa Kawooya, who asked the West Budama North representative to stop “peddling his immorality.”
“It is a fact that our colleague Fox is a learned fellow. A very legally informed person but each time we have a controversial issue in this House, Hon Fox goes against us. He did it with the Anti-Homosexuality Law and now he wants to support abortion. Is it in order for him to keep trading his immorality in this House?” asked MP Kawooya.
During the constitution amendment debate in Kenya, the question of whether to legalize abortion or not was one of the most controversial questions that even drew in the men and women of the cloth who vehemently preached against it during church sermons.
However, Fox says Ugandans can choose to pretend to be morally upright and die or legalize abortion and protect young girls from death.
“When you have a problem you must accept that there is a problem. We can pretend that we ban abortion and we keep losing over a quarter million citizens or we legalize abortion and we stop children from having children,” he said.
In his response, Minister Rukutana refused to delve into the matter saying Fox’s view is a matter that can be discussed as a country and as leaders.
“Does legalizing abortion do any good? If we do, will it reduce deaths? Those are the questions we will have to address ourselves to when discussing such a view,” he said.
