U.S. congressman urges Kenyan committee to uphold right to life

Congressman Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska has issued a statement urging Kenya’s Committee of Experts on Constitutional Review to uphold Kenya’s longstanding prohibition against abortion, reports LifeSiteNews.com.

Fortenberry is a member of the House Democracy Partnership Commission, a bipartisan 20-member commission established by the House of Representatives in 2005 to support the development of independent democratic legislatures. He has worked with Kenyan parliamentarians on issues related to oversight and government reform.

“I fully support Article 25 of the Kenyan draft constitution, which wisely and explicitly continues Kenya’s affirmation of the right to life beginning at conception,” said Fortenberry. “It is appalling that leaders in Africa are being systematically pressured to slacken their abortion laws in the belief that such a policy prescription leads to ‘economic progress.’ It is also scandalous that abortion is misleadingly being attributed as ‘reproductive health care.’"

During deliberations on the Kenyan draft constitution, language that would compromise the right to life of unborn persons was struck by the Parliamentary Select Committee. On January 29, a version affirming the right to life was submitted to the Committee on Experts, who will now work on the draft before submitting it to the National Assembly for approval.

“I implore the Committee of Experts to uphold this language and be magnanimous enough and loving enough to say yes to life, boldly welcoming the precious children that may hold the future of our world in their hands," Fortenberry said. "All women around the world deserve better than abortion and we must work to ensure that all communities receive the support they need.”

Fortenberry is also the author of the Care for Life Act, a bill that seeks to encourage and assist women throughout their pregnancies and after childbirth by alleviating financial, social, emotional, and other difficulties that may otherwise lead to abortion.

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TAGS: Kenya Jeff Fortenberry Kenyan committee right to life health care abortion

[02/05/2010]

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