“Women’s health?” It's Abortion: Africa’s Catholic Activists Want Reproductive Healthcare Bill in Sierra Leone Rejected

If passed, Ms. Kioko says, “this bill would legalize abortion up to 14 weeks—for any reason. Even worse, it allows late term abortion, even right up until birth, vague excuses like ‘mental health’ or fetal ‘abnormalities’”.

For Ms. Kioko, the Bill has “no safeguards. No clear definitions. Just open doors to abuse, manipulation, and the mass killing of unborn children.”

She says that the pressure to pass the Bill is coming from foreign donors like the Gates Foundation, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). 

“They’re using their billions to push a brutal agenda—abortion disguised as care. They call it ‘rights,’ but it’s control. They say ‘healthcare,' but they mean death,” says the Kenyan Catholic CitizenGo officials in the petition she addressed to Sierra Leone’s legislators.

Ms. Kioko says she finds it unfortunate that the push for the Bill is being done “without the consent of the people.”

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“Churches and religious leaders across Sierra Leone have already spoken up—loudly, clearly, bravely,” she says, and adds, “They’ve called this bill what it is: morally evil, dangerous, and a threat to our children and our future.”

Calling for solidarity with Sierra Leone’s faith leaders, Ms. Kioko says, “This petition gives you the chance to raise your voice and help stop this deadly bill.”

The Catholic Church has been among the religious organizations urging the legislators in the country to reject the Bill.

In his Christmas 2024 message issued on December 24, Bishop Bob John Hassan Koroma of Sierra Leone’s Catholic Diocese of Makeni urged the legislators to  “Vote categorically against that bill.”

“This, in our estimation as Catholics, is a subtle way of legalizing the unspeakable crime of abortion in this country – an act diametrically opposed to the very essence of what we celebrate at this time, namely, the birth of the Baby Jesus,” Bishop Koroma said.

The Sierra Leonean Catholic Bishop called upon all “religiously minded” legislators and others of goodwill to oppose the bill. 

“I, together with my brother Bishops, call on all religiously minded Parliamentarians and Parliamentarians of goodwill, capable of distinguishing between good and evil, to vote categorically against that bill,” he emphasized.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.