The Antigua and Barbuda Evangelical Alliance has issued a strong statement against a lawsuit challenging the nation’s abortion laws.
The statement addresses a recent legal action that questions the validity of the country’s abortion laws, which criminalize terminating or attempting to terminate a pregnancy. It also criminalizes assisting someone in such an act.
The Alliance’s statement emphasizes that this lawsuit follows similar legal challenges in Trinidad and Tobago and the Commonwealth of Dominica, where the public was only informed when the matters were presented in court.
In Antigua and Barbuda, the claim was filed without prior engagement with the government or the populace.
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Filed by a local medical practitioner and others, the lawsuit names Attorney General Hon. Sir Steadroy Benjamin and Minister of Health Hon. Sir Molwyn Joseph as respondents. It seeks to overturn the existing laws on the grounds that they infringe on a woman’s right to make decisions about her body.
The Evangelical Alliance expressed strong opposition to what they describe as an agenda by international entities aiming to erode the nation’s moral code under the guise of advancing human rights.
They urged the government to resist the lawsuit and to uphold the nation’s collective preference for preserving life, maintaining moral integrity, and fostering a godly consciousness for future generations.
In response, Attorney General Sir Steadroy Benjamin acknowledged awareness of the lawsuit but clarified that it had not yet been formally filed with his chambers.
He mentioned that the government has not yet addressed the matter of abortion, as it awaits the formal filing of the lawsuit and subsequent deliberations by the Cabinet before taking a position or making an announcement.
Here is the statement as issued by the Antigua and Barbuda Evangelical Alliance:
“It has come to our attention that a lawsuit challenging the validity of the nation’s laws on abortion has been filed in the High Court of Justice. Currently, the laws of Antigua and Barbuda make it a criminal offence for a woman to terminate or attempt to terminate a pregnancy. In addition, any person who assists another to abort a pregnancy could also face criminal charges.
“The lawsuit follows similar challenges mounted in the nations of Trinidad and Tobago and the Commonwealth of Dominica. In both instances, the wider public was only made aware when the matters came up for arguments before the courts in those jurisdictions. Similarly, the claim in Antigua and Barbuda has been filed seemingly without prior effort to engage the government or the people of this country.
“The lawsuit which was filed by a local medical practitioner and others and names Attorney General, Hon. Sir Steadroy Benjamin and Minister of Health. Hon. Sir Molwyn Joseph as respondents and seeks to have the related laws quashed because they infringe upon a woman’s right to determine what happens to her body.
“The Antigua and Barbuda Evangelical Alliance wishes to place on record our OBJECTION/OPPOSITION to the agenda of international entities and interests that seek to engage in the erosion of our moral code as a nation and a region under the cloak of advancing human rights.
“We therefore urge the government to resist the lawsuit and to do all that is possible NOW to undergird the people’s collective preference for the preservation of life, the retention of our moral integrity and our Godly consciousness, even for the generations to come.”
End.
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they need to banned abortion a babies live matter too
only practionera should be allowed to determine that if a woman having eptopic pregnancy because a baby can’t survive outside the womb but no mother should up an killed a unborn child jus because she dnt want it if you dnt want a child dnt fuck!!!! I hope every women who try abortt a child on there own they bleed an end up hospital an shame dem everyone should know wat they did self an police lock up Dem rass
Ah who dem dey be…You all hab one voice?
How about we stop having reckless sex and popping kids out like crazy for men who isn’t a father or wants to be a father…
That being said yes, she should have a say in what she does and whatnot but we also gotta take into account a lot of woman having kids with the intention to just throw it away as well… We see this with the raise in the 4th wave feminist saying they enjoy that and eating kids make them happy…
So a lot of things need to be reworked and she should have the final say in the matter.
The law is clearly unconstitutional. Women should have the right to decide what happens within their body.
I have not seen the anti-abortion law, but I am pretty sure it fails to appreciate and provide exceptions for medical complications, rape, etcetera.
The anti-abortion law is based on random choice, personal whim, rather than any reason or system. Which is how Antigua operates with everything.
This law is without reasonable grounds or adequate consideration of all circumstances and possible situations.
If it is time to take away Fundamental rights from women, the it is time to criminalized cheating, conflict of interest while in public office, abuse of power while in public office, etcetera.
Also, I am informing the government to remove any strict liability law pertaining to the possession bullets. Have an intent element or malice requirement that may include: possession with intent to commit a crime or after committing a crime; with intent to sell to another, not authorize to possess, etcetera.
Not just a strict liability charge of possessing (no intent is required to be proven), which can include one bullet falling in the bottom of your suit case/bag, causing a US citizen to be wrongfully charged and convicted.
https://antiguanewsroom.com/antigua-evangelical-alliance-condemns-lawsuit-against-abortion-laws/
I’think that abortion is not a good thing to do at all , but say if the woman get raped and pregnant through that its a different situation than just go lay down with a man , having sex without condom and get pregnant and have an abortion ..
and some may have several abortions ….
Doing abortion on their own is even very life threatening for those woman .
Woman ( and man ) need to be more responsible when it come to that , being conscious bout the consequences when them lay down together , it can create a baby or even STI .
Especially one night stands or affairs without serious intention of a future together, Don’t have sex or use a condom at least .
And if the condon burst,or if getting raped, there are pills for woman to take until 24 hours after sex but they can only get that from a doctor or after talking to a pharmacist and filling out a form , so that the pregnancy doesn’t develop further. Still not good but better that doing abortion after 3 months . I’don’t know if that „After-Pill“ is available in Antigua but if not then the government should look into it for it‘s availability.
I believe a woman should be allowed to choose what happens to her body…deciding for the body inside her is another story. That’s someone else’s body and that person should be allowed to choose as well.
Where were all you “right to choose” hypocrites when they were coercing people to take the poison needle so they could eat? ehhh?? Don’t forget, somebody stood up for your right to exist or of course, you wouldn’t be here.
Where were u all when the anti buggery law constitutionality law suit was unchallenged???? I guess it’s easier for them to tell women what they can and cannot do with their bodies.
What does the Evangelical Association want government to do? Interfere in the judicial process? Really. There is a separation of church and state and I am not sure who they represent since most of the churches are empty. Only filled with the elderly who are trying to get to heaven. I can count on one hand the amount of true christians that I know but I know hundreds of one day christians.
Abortion is a human rights issue and we are governered by laws not the bible.
Once upon a time doctors sought to save lives and do no harm. These days… abortion (aka baby killing), euthanasia (aka old people killing)… some doctors seem to want to take lives instead. Sadly, being a doctor is no longer always a noble profession. Little wonder people hardly trust doctors these days… Better just return to traditional medicine than put your life in the hands of people who are willing to kill others so willynilly?
It’s actually really a simple issue. Science says that from the moment of conception, the baby inside has full and different human DNA and is a separate human being. So, abortion is murder. The question is when is it ok to murder another person? If your physical life is in danger, it is normally ok as self-defense. So, if the mother’s life is in danger, it’s sad but ok. However, medical science is so advanced that there are many alternatives to save both mother and baby these days (C-section, incubators etc.). So, not ok except in rare cases. Rape etc. doesn’t justify murdering an innocent baby. The human baby should not be punished for the sins of the father. Punish the man not the baby. And, help the woman by providing support at a centre with everything she needs through the pregnancy. Help her see herself as a heroine for taking care of the child through pregnancy. She can decide later if she wants to rear it or put it up for adoption. The argument that it is her body… Read the Merchant of Venice. Even if she is free to decide not to allow the baby to develop inside her, she is NOT free to kill it. She should remove it intact and put it into a life-saving incubator. She is NOT free to cut it up into tiny bits and suck it out with a vacuum or poison it with a pill. If the baby got there by her own free will and not by force, then she has no right to just abandon it, she must make arrangements for it’s future welfare. Simple.
America and Britain seem to want to Hold caribbean and African countries Hostage. First it was unconditional where same sex is concerned, now it is Abortion,soon it’s going to be Gay Marriage or else no Aid.It is time Africa and the Caribbean stand up as to these Bullies.Abortion is Murder. Women these days want to have unprotected sex and abort multiple children in a year.Except a mother’s life is in Danger.NO TO ABORTION,SAME SEX MARRIAGE,AND LEGALIZE ING OF GAY SEX.When we try to do stuff to Boost our Economy they put all kind d of sanctions in disguise of Border security but they have all the white colored people from middle east Flocking their country and Bombing Them.
@ I’m Just saying…fue sure you born from snother msmmal stuff and not for woman womb. For sure you are a woke people.
What about the child’s right to live???? Most of the persons who want abortions are people who practice irresponsible sexual behavior. I can understand if an abortion is needed because of unusual circumstances but abortion on Demi’s wrong! Plus, the Caribbean countries are already underpopulated!
Evangelical Alliance? What,pray tell, is this? Another arm of religion? How silent they were when people were being force to be injected with the clot shot; was this not also about choice? Where were they when the grams and trees legalization of weed was being pushed? What, now they seek relevance? Long ago, the lost any societal relevance.
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