Don't Abort Boko Haram Children – Catholic Bishops

Nigerian Catholic bishops have advised the women impregnated by Boko Haram insurgents not to abort the pregnancies.

The issue has caused serious clashes in Nigerian society. Many insisted that the pregnancies should be aborted, saying that the unwanted children of terrorists “will bring no joy to this world”.

According to The Punch, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria promised assistance to the women  in the children’s upbringing after the delivery.

Speaking on May 25, Monday, during the press conference in Abuja, Most Rev Anselm Umoren mentioned “support mechanisms” and “crisis pregnancy management centers” as means of providing support to the women victims.

He lamented that Nigeria even considered the option of getting rid of innocent children “with capital punishment” for no offence committed.

“Specifically, it is not tenable, the suggestion that killing the babies conceived through rape by the terrorists, is the most humane action to take in this instance. Since the babies are ignorant and innocent of the crimes – aggression, sexual assault, dehumanisation – against their mothers, it is unethical to punish them for the sins and offences of their erring fathers.”

The bishops explained that the life of every baby is different from those of its parents.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian military on May 22 rescued 20 more women and children from Sambisa Forest. The total number of the hostages rescued in the past month is counted in hundreds. However, there is still no information about the Chibok girls abducted last April in Borno state.

Days before Muhammadu Buhari’s inauguration, the BringBackOurGirls group blasted the outgoing administration which was leaving without having rescued the Chibok children.

The group’s chief campaigner Oby Ezekwesili was quoted as saying by Leadership:

“Why does our federal government continue to fail to understand that providing a #ChibokGirls-specific briefing before May 29 is mandatory for leadership that respects democratic accountability to their citizens? We advise an immediate final briefing session to answer our persistent questions, where are our #ChibokGirls?

“As this administration concludes this week, their parents and all members of #BringBackOurGirls all over the world once again ask our government, ‘What really happened with the promise of rescue of our 219 girls?’ ‘Where really are our girls; your girls, Mr. President?’

“Sadly only five days remain before the administration of President Jonathan ends on May 29 with still no information on where the girls are or any tangible indication of their rescue. It is a galling state of affairs that 219 young women who went to school were so tragically failed by their government and even now remain in the grips of terrorists.”