The pro-life conference organized
by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria continued on Friday June 6th
with a keynote presentation by Congressman Chris Smith from the United States
who told the meeting that as a member of Congress he like the Catholic Bishops
believes that we have a profound moral duty to protect the weakest and most
vulnerable from all existential threats. The right to life he said ‘the most
basic of all human rights applies regardless of race, color, creed, sex,
religion, disability, age, stage of development or condition of dependency,
including unborn children.’
Congressman Smith continued by
making a strong statement condemning the actions of Boko Haram in Nigeria with
a particular focus on their abduction of the Nigerian schoolgirls and then
turned to a number of other issues.
Smith told the gathering that when
it comes to reducing maternal mortality, ‘it has been known for more than 60
years what actually saves women’s lives: skilled birth attendants, treatment to
stop haemorrages, access to safe blood, antibiotics, repair of fistulas, and a
venue or clinic to provide emergency obstetric care.’
The World Health Organization
statistics he said show, a reduction of 52% for maternal mortality in Nigeria
since 1990 but that much more needs to be done.
He then spoke of the need for each
of us to promote and establish a genuine culture of life. He said that African
Nations including Nigeria are under siege by the abortion industry and its
numerous NGOs including IPAS, Planned Parenthood, Marie Stopes International, Centre
for Reproductive Rights, many western governments including the Obama
administration and UN agencies like UNFPA.
Someday, Smith told the
conference; future generations will look back on the United States and wonder how and why such a seemingly enlightened society, so blessed and endowed with education, advanced science, information, wealth and opportunity could have systematically enabled the dismemberment or chemical poisoning of millions of children. They he said, like many of us today, will be outraged knowing that the United States and others chose to export and integrate the culture of death with essential foreign aid and humanitarian assistance.
