Pro-abortion activists worry that the Dobbs decision will embolden the pro-life movement in Africa. A left news report stating that while abortion is restricted in much of the region, countries with expanded access are seeing a backlash. It quoted the program director for Ipas as believing that “the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v Wade has electrified Ethiopia’s anti-abortion movement, leaving the country’s landmark 2005 abortion law on shaky ground.” Ethiopian law has made abortion for broad social or economic basis according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Last year, the pro-life movement protested abortion legislation and “targeted policymakers, health providers — anyone who might have a strong stake in sexual reproductive health services” according to country director in Ethiopia for MSI Reproductive Choices (formerly Marie Stopes International) who believes the current abortion law is “very vulnerable”.
In Kenya, pro-lifers “also drew on Roe’s reversal to challenge abortion policy”. Quoted a report about Dobbs’ global impact of the pro-abortion organization Fòs Feminista, the International Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice, (formerly known as IPPF Western Hemisphere). The report highlights a 2022 constitutional court ruling that affirmed abortion as a fundamental right in Kenya’s constitution (under influence and pressure from international pro-abortion groups and foreign governments, including the United States.)
Pro-life advocates in Kenya now argue that the judge who decided the case relied on “bad law” from the US when he cited Roe v Wade. That decision now stands, pending appeal. “The fact that this is being entertained is really troubling to many who work on the ground in Kenya,” according to a ‘global advocacy officer’ for Fòs Feminista.
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In the Nigerian state of Lagos, the governor suspended policy guidelines on self-managed abortion less than a month after Roe was overturned. International pro-abortion organizations were instrumental in writing the guidelines. The report notes that pro-life advocates argued after Dobbs that the governor should follow the leadership’s lead and revoke the provisions and he did.
The good news is that the pro-life movement in Africa is encouraged and sees the success in the US as a possible model for restoring protection for the unborn in countries where there have been gains in access to euthanasia. unborn children. Meanwhile, pro-abortion activists see Dobbs as a warning. A representative for Fòs Feminista said, “For the longest time, Roe was seen as a gold standard. And so the fact that this can happen in the US is a very clear indication to some in the feminist movement in Africa that it can happen here as well. These advantages may wear off over time.”
He believes the pro-life movement is working strategically: “They’re not wrong. They target big countries, countries with political influence and countries with very strong religious communities.”
LifeNews.com Note: Marie Smith is the director of Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues.
