Catholic doctors want Senate to jettison bill on gender equality before it

The Association of Catholic Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, Owerri Archdiocesan branch, has called on the national assembly to jettison a bill sponsored by foreign body currently receiving legislative attention in the senate.

The bill is entitled: `A bill for an Act to Incorporate and Enforce Certain Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, and other Matters connected therewith.”

The chairman of the association, Professor Philip Njemanze, made the call in an interview with journalists on Wednesday in Owerri.

Njemanze said, if the bill sponsored by Sen. Biodun Christine Olujimi which passed second reading on December 1, 2016 in the Senate is finally passed and assented to, the implementation of act would erode the traditions, customs, and religion of Nigerians.

“The bill is a domestication of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa.

“The United States Senate voted to decline domestication of CEDAW, among other defects for infringing on the sovereignty of the United States of America so I wonder why the Nigeria senate should elated to entertain such bill.”

He observed that the bill made it a must for the church to ordain married women, homosexuals, and transgender priests despite the traditions of the church stressing that the Bill would automatically abolished Christian and Sharia religious laws.

“The bill bans the use of the Holy Bible and Holy Qur’an in schools, mandating that there should be ‘elimination of gender stereotyping in education.’

“This means that no books that say women have separate roles in a family or society than men could be used in schools.

“There are no exemptions based on religion, customs and traditions, this means that the Sultan of Sokoto or Obi of Onitsha could be a woman if by age, academic standard and family lineage is the one due to be in such position.

“The law equally mandates that the Sokoto Sultanate to crown a woman the Sultan of Sokoto and head of all Muslims in Nigeria, while Catholic and Anglican churches must ordain women as Priests and Bishops.

According to him, Section 14(a) of the bill frowns at a Bishop or Pastor who preaches against abortion, and recommended that such person could be liable for causing psychological and emotional abuse on any woman who has undergone abortion.

Also section 14(b)(c) stated that such victim would be eligible for monetary compensation as determined by the court.

Njemanze argued that for the Catholic or Anglican such provisions contained in the bill were total aberration in the universal church apostolic tradition supported by the Holy Bible.

He restated further that if such bill which changed the customary, and religious traditions the country has maintained for millennia based on the teachings of the Holy Bible and Holy Koran to be allowed serious problems would be across Nigeria.

Njemanze who said that the bill promotes abortions and unlimited maternity leave for postnatal women with complication, added that socio-economic and other aspects of the life of Nigerians would be badly eroded.

He therefore advised the national assembly to emulate the United States of American senate and throw away the bill as its disadvantages far out-weigh the benefits.