Please Read:
Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has apologised to the people of the state over the controversy generated by the law legalising abortion in the state.
This followed the pressure from churches, especially, the Catholic Church, in the state calling on the governor and the state legislature to repeal the law.
Addressing church leaders at the temporary chambers of the state House of Assembly in Owerri, Governor Okorocha appealed to the members of the House to repeal the contentious section(s) of the law in the interest of the state.
The said law which is cited as Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law No 12 of 2012 permits women both married and unmarried to carry out abortion at will.
The contentious section of the law also states that every woman should obtain the rights to enjoy reproductive rights which includes right to medical abortion in cases of intimate assaults, molestation, incest and possible health danger associated with pregnancy to the woman.
Governor Okorocaha explained that his interest in assenting to the law was based on what he saw in Plateau State years back where a woman was raped by a mad man in the market resulting to the woman getting pregnant, saying he was not blackmailed into signing the law.
The governor noted that he had to bow to pressure because he realized that some people might hide under such law to commit abortion.
Meanwhile, the state House of Assembly has commenced the process of repealing the law.
A bill which was sponsored by the Majority Leader of the House, passed first reading on Tuesday evening, while the second reading was fixed for the tenth of this month.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!
Signing a bill ignorantly??
Any thoughts on this??
