Popular Religious Leader Opposes Sierra Leone Abortion Bill During Heated Live TV Debate

Sheikh Alie Kallay a popular religious leader, recently expressed his disagreement towards the Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Care Bill during a debate at AYV on the topic “Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Healthcare Bill: Can it make things better or worse?”

He highlighted the bad effects of the Bill and said that “religion is not an obstacle to progress”.

The Bill, which intends to improve maternal health services and support rape victims, ignited public debate due to provisions that provide women the right to make choices about their own bodies, particularly in reproductive affairs. He encouraged women who are victims of rape and are pregnant to step forward so that they can find solutions towards the problem rather than aborting pregnancies.

“When it happens, we address them. Let them come forward, when they come forward with such cases we deal with them.”

Sheikh Kallay rejected the idea that women should have complete control over their reproductive decisions, believing that religious principles and cultural norms should influence these decisions.

The religious leader also made debated statements, stating that rape is caused by society “atmospheres” that encourage such violence.

According to him, it is due to such laws in the country that often lead to women being raped as law enforcers, sometimes create the atmosphere for them.

“You the law enforcer if you create the atmosphere the rape is still going to take place.” He said. “They are creating the atmosphere in our schools, in our universities even in the hospitals. Nurses are there, are assigned in isolated areas with doctors, their male counterparts.”

Despite his arguments, there were no answers provided towards the fate of women who became pregnant as a result of rape.

As the debate over the law continues, the argument between religious beliefs and rights for women remains important.

The conclusion of this debate could have long-term ramifications for the reproductive system policy and gender equality, as both sides closely monitor the debate.