The Catholic Lawyers Guild in Zimbabwe is going hard against some last-minute changes to a health bill. They call it a backdoor move to loosen abortion rules without letting the public have a say. The guild points out that an opposition MP, Edwin Mushoriwa, only brought these tweaks up during a committee meeting. The lawyers argue that the whole method is shady and goes against the Constitution.
Their big issue is what the changes would actually do. They claim it would basically allow abortion for any reason within the first twelve weeks. It would also add mental health or serious injury as legal grounds, and let minors get abortions in emergencies without a parent's okay. The guild says this is a huge deal in a conservative country like Zimbabwe, referencing a survey that found most citizens are against abortion. They insist any law like this needs a full public debate first, not to be sneaked through.
On legal grounds, they say it violates the right to life in Section 48 of the Constitution. They also argue you can't change the existing Termination of Pregnancy Act by tacking stuff onto a different, more general medical bill. The proper way would be a dedicated amendment bill for the abortion law itself, with real consultation. They say bypassing the people like this wrecks democratic foundations.
Their big issue is what the changes would actually do. They claim it would basically allow abortion for any reason within the first twelve weeks. It would also add mental health or serious injury as legal grounds, and let minors get abortions in emergencies without a parent's okay. The guild says this is a huge deal in a conservative country like Zimbabwe, referencing a survey that found most citizens are against abortion. They insist any law like this needs a full public debate first, not to be sneaked through.
On legal grounds, they say it violates the right to life in Section 48 of the Constitution. They also argue you can't change the existing Termination of Pregnancy Act by tacking stuff onto a different, more general medical bill. The proper way would be a dedicated amendment bill for the abortion law itself, with real consultation. They say bypassing the people like this wrecks democratic foundations.
