HARARE, Feb. 19 (NewsDay Live) – A controversial provision in the Medical Services Amendment Bill seeking to liberalise abortion has failed to pass the Second Reading in the Senate after the government conceded it had been “smuggled” into the draft legislation.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care distanced itself from the clause, saying it had been inserted without its knowledge.
During the Second Reading in the Senate, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Sleiman Kwidini omitted Clause 11 from his presentation — a move that raised red flags among senators who had anticipated a fierce debate on the issue.
“The clause was smuggled in; it was not there originally,” Kwidini said.
Most senators indicated they were not prepared to support the provision, which proposed allowing abortions on request up to 20 weeks for adults and minors without parental consent, removing spousal notification requirements, and permitting a single medical practitioner to authorise the procedure.
“What I want to assure this House is that Clause 11 came as a surprise to the Ministry,” Kwidini said. “When the Bill was introduced in the Lower House at First Reading, there was no Clause 11 — it ended at Clause 10.
“As the Ministry, we are saying Clause 11 cannot be part of this Bill. If the Senate agrees, it can be brought under a separate Bill for amendment. When the Ministry presented this Bill in the Lower House, that clause was not there. The Minister was shocked to receive calls saying Clause 11 was addressing abortion.”
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