Culture of Life Africa welcomes Mexico City Policy - as abortion advocates mourn loss of funding
The documentary Killing Africa has uncovered evidence of shocking practices, including illegal abortions, by MSI in Uganda.
A number of articles have appeared in the press featuring organisations that promote abortion overseas claiming that the loss of US funding will lead to women dying. However, Culture of Life Africa has welcomed the reinstating of the Mexico City Policy.
What is the Mexico City Policy?
Marie Stopes International (MSI) claimed in a BBC article called "How Trump abortion funding cuts could affect Africa" that the reinstating of the policy will lead to over 10,000 maternal deaths in Nigeria.
"Without US funding, from 2017 to 2020, over 1.8 million unintended pregnancies will probably occur; more than 660,000 abortions will happen and over 10,000 maternal deaths will not be averted," says Effiom Effiom, country director for Marie Stopes in Nigeria.
MSI gives no basis for these claims. International Planned Parenthood (IPPF) has also lamented the loss of funds for "reproductive health services". The organisation says it will lose £80 million in US funding.
Cultural imperialism
Meanwhile, Obianuju Ekeocha of Culture of Life Africa has welcomed the news that abortion giants MSI and IPPF will lose US funding for the promotion of abortion in Africa. Noting that abortion is illegal in much of Africa, she writes that funding abortion organisations working on the continent "is a form of extreme interventionism" and "cultural imperialism".
"The bottom line is that most ordinary Africans will be unimpressed (if not offended) that the United States or any other western country has actually been, up till now, funding organisations that perform abortions given how most of the African cultures value human life from conception."
Ideologically driven work
She also points out that "humanitarian aid money given to abortion organisations is humanitarian aid money not used for real healthcare, education, nutrition and water.
"In reality organisations like MSI and IPPF do not contribute to the building up of African communities or authentic development as they go about their ideologically-driven work."
Killing Africa
The BBC does not mention that MSI has been found guilty of performing illegal abortions in a number of African countries. A new documentary by Culture of Life Africa, Killing Africa, has uncovered evidence of shocking practices, including illegal abortions, by MSI in Uganda.
Abortion advocates around the world have also been lamenting the return of the "global gag". Bizarrely, the Guardian has run an article using the story of a woman who was drugged and given an abortion without her consent to push the legalisation of abortion in Pakistan.