THE Roman Catholic Church has launched a fierce attack on Zimbabwe’s proposed Medical Services Bill, denouncing it as a moral failure amid widespread poverty and collapsing public services.
The Bill, awaiting a Senate vote, has ignited national debate. It seeks to allow abortions on request up to 20 weeks for adults and minors without parental consent, remove spousal notification requirement and permit a single medical practitioner to authorise the procedure.
Church leaders warn that if enacted, the law could erode Zimbabwe’s moral foundations, undermine constitutional protections for unborn children and clash with deeply held cultural and religious values.
Addressing congregants during a Confirmation Mass in Mt Pleasant on Sunday, Archbishop Robert Christopher Ndlovu of Harare, who also serves as President of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference, described the Bill as “sinful” and “evil.” He vowed the church will approach President Emmerson Mnangagwa to dissuade him from signing the Bill should it be passed in the Senate.
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Criticising Parliament for focusing on abortion while ignoring urgent issues such as poor infrastructure and water shortage, Ndlovu said: “In the communities where we stay, there are potholes everywhere, taps are dry — that is what they should be debating in Parliament. To them, it does not mean anything. And they call that (abortion) ‘human rights — women’s reproductive rights’. Yes, women and girls have to be empowered, but not by destroying their conscience.”
He appealed to parishioners to observe a day of prayer and fasting on February 6.
“Let us pray, because we are heading towards a situation that may destroy our identity as a people. Life is precious,” Ndlovu said.
"We speak of the weak in life who should be protected and the weakest are the unborn children."
Ndlovu also claimed that foreign interests were backing the Bill.
“We know the organisations pushing for this Bill and the embassies that are sponsoring it," he said.
"We can’t say it in public because these are diplomatic issues. And lawyers — we know some of these organisations are sponsoring lawyers to support the Bill. They are being paid handsomely...
"Even if they vote for it, we may have to confront the President and convince him not to sign it, because we know the consequences."
He stressed the role of the church in protecting moral and cultural values.
“If we just swallow all that in the name of civilisation, we end up losing our identity and values,” Ndlovu said.
"We need to stick to what we believe is right to retain our dignity and values. In the church, if someone has committed an abortion and goes to a priest to confess, they are told to go to the bishop for absolution.
"I have been receiving some cases. Some people confess to having committed the sin some 20 years back, but they are still haunted. It destroys the conscience. It may haunt you to the grave."
The Bill has sparked intense national debate.
While church leaders warn that the Bill threatens Zimbabwe’s moral fabric, promoters argue that the 1977 Termination of Pregnancy Act is outdated, making legal abortion difficult to access due to bureaucratic hurdles.