……..Says VAPP Bill is well intended,if Baby factories are closed in Imo
The Catholic doctors in Imo have condemned and seek an immediate amendment on the Violence Against People’s Prohibition (VAPP) Bill by Imo house of assembly.
This was contained in a statement by Chairman of the group, Prof. Philip Njemanze on Tuesday at Rockview hotel Owerri
The Violence against people’s prohibition bill (VAPP) is sponsored by Imo lawmaker, Hon.Uju Onwudikwe representing Njaba state constituency
The Imo Catholic doctors alleged that Imo bill No. 12 is a poorly written and conceptualized law which has an agenda to destroy the family and erode our Igbo traditions and Christian Religious foundation.
According to Imo Catholic doctors, ” Imo Bill No. 12 legalizes Abortion, Same-Sex Marriage, Outlaws the Use of the Bible in Schools, Outlaws all-men Catholic Seminaries, Ordains women as priests, Crowns women as traditional Ezes in Imo Communities, promotes the Sale of Human parts from aborted babies, imprisons parents and preachers for moral education of children.
“The bill is better not promulgated in its present form and remain repealed..
” However, on request of His Grace Most Rev. AJV Obinna, the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, diocese, and Owerri Provincial Head, we will point out a few of the objections in this new version of the bill.”
“We underscore that all the issues addressed on rape are all provided for in the current penal code in Nigeria..”
” This current law was designed to augment the Imo State Law No. 7 for the destruction of the family and killing of the unborn Imo Child,”The group said.
“If the bill No. 12 is well intended, it should ban the proliferation of ‘Imo Baby Factories’, who are being killed and their organs taken for export to Western Countries to provide organs for their infants with heart defects, kidney defects, liver and lung insufficiency. The Imo State Law No. 12 is sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and the sole aim is to provide aborted tissues and fetal parts for the Western Pharmaceutical Companies for drug testing and cosmetics industry. It also provides human Overian Eggs through Invitro-Feritilization (IVF) Clinics to supply over 100 milion eggs needed for the Tissue Cloning Industry.
” It is remarkable that majority of the Stem Cell Tissue Cloning Industry is owned by Bill Gates”.
” This will mark the beginning of Biological Colonialism using innocent babies from Imo State. There is also a growing threat of use of ‘infanticides’ to kill ‘girl’ child in families in Sex Selection.
Imo Catholic doctors said that the promulgation of the Imo Law No. 12 will only be of value if it is focused on protecting all persons from the moment of conception to natural death.
The Imo Catholic doctors in seeking amendment to the VAPP bill said ,” First, this is a bill purported to be a Law for Prohibition of Violence Against Persons, however, there is no section on Definition of a Person.
“We will provide a detailed medical definition of a ‘person’ who is the main object of this law and must be clearly defined. The poor conceptualization in this Law No. 12 is shown, for example, the main subject of the law the ‘Person’ is not defined. If a person is characterized by ‘Life’ what in this Law protects that ‘Sanctity of Life’ on whom Violence is inflicted. The Law does not protect ‘Life’ from its very scientific medical beginning from ‘Conception to Natural Death’.
” This law must state that any laws that proposes
“Violence or Death” against a ‘person’ not in accordance with the provisions of Chapter IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, is hereby repealed, rendered null and void and of no effect..”
” This Bill No. 12 should specifically state that The Imo State Law No. 7 2007 in [Section 18 (a-f)] which legalizes Abortion, Contraception, Assisted Reproduction and Human Ovarian Egg-donation’, is hereby rendered null and void and of no effect.”.
“Act may be cited as the `Imo State of Nigeria Violence Against Persons (Sanctity of Human Life Act)’ Law No. 12 of 2012..”
“Be It Enacted by the House of Assembly of Imo State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria –
(1) the House of Assembly Imo State declares that–
(A) the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being, and is the paramount and most fundamental right of a person; and
(B) the life of each human being begins with fertilization, cloning, or its functional equivalent, irrespective of sex, health, function or disability, defect, stage of biological development, or condition of dependency, at which time every human being shall have all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood; and
“(2) the House of Assembly affirms that the Imo State Government, have the authority to protect the lives of all human beings residing in its respective jurisdictions..”
“domestic relationship” means a relationship between any person and a perpetrator of violence constituted in any of the following ways
(i) They were married to each other, including marriage according to any law, custom or religion;
“marriage is a union of a man and a woman established between themselves by their own free will as a partnership for the whole of life according to an order established by law, faith or custom, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring”.
Imo bill No. 12 redefines marriage:
(ii) They live or have lived together in a relationship in the nature of marriage, although they are not or were not married to each other;
“The present law recognizes ‘civil unions as marriage’.
Revision, Delete this section ,the group said.
Imo bill No. 12 : crowns women Ezes in communities:
“economic abuse” by including ‘succession rights’ would mean that if the first girl in the family of an Eze is jumped in the line of succession according to Igbo customs and tradition, the Eze or the village King makers would go to jail for four years (see Section 22 (1)).
“The aim is to crown women as Ezes in Igbo land which would result in rejection by our people and a total breakdown of our traditional governance.
“The objected to it and calls for omit ‘succession rights’ as economic abuse, it should now read “economic abuse” means forced financial dependence; denial of inheritance rights in a manner that violates the Fundamental Rights of the Person as stipulated the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and generally accepted good social practices of Igbo traditional norms
Imo bill No. 12: destroys the Igbo traditional institutions:
“harmful traditional practices” by including ‘succession rights’ the Male-only Ezeship in Igbo land is outlawed by the IMO LAW No. 12. This would create unprecedented chaos and collapse of Imo society. Applying Section 22(1) would mean that a woman refused as ‘king’ to succeed the father is a ‘harmful traditional practice’ liable to four year imprisonment.
This Section of Bill No. 12: ordination of Female priests:
The Bill no. 12 targets ruining our Christian religious traditions. For example, a woman seek ordination as a Catholic Priest is refused by the seminary citing the long held Church tradition of not ordaining women as Catholic Priests and Bishops, the Judge may cite Imo Law No. 12
“Revision: remove ‘succession rights’ from the ‘harmful traditional practices’. All sections in the definition MUST exempt ‘accepted good practices’ of Igbo customs and traditions as well as religious traditions of Imo people.
“The definition of ‘abuse’ as ‘verbal’ was made broad to include normal parental scolding of children, preaching against ‘sins’ of adultery, abortion, fornication, etc., as is customary in our religious society. It includes preaching by Priests, Pastors, Evangelists, Bishops, Traditional heads that condemn actions contrary to our religion and culture. This latter curtails the “Freedom” of religion, and restricts the Church and traditional institution from correcting the evils of society such as the sins of abortion, contraception, fornication, adultery, etc. Perpetrators if condemned by preachers on the pulpit could take offence even when not specifically directed at them but at the entire congregation; the BILL No. 12 allows anyone to claim ‘psychological’ distress in response to ‘verbal abuse’ that they consider violates ‘the integrity of a female or male human being’. There are no limitations or exemptions made by the BILL No. 12, on what could be considered as ‘abuse’ therefore all cultural manners of correction of children and young people would be considered as ‘abuse’ liable to fine and/or imprisonment. Daughters would go against mothers and sons against fathers in courts, with parents facing jail sentences as prescribed by bill No. 12. This would create a breakdown of ethics and morals, customs, traditional practices, and religion that holds the fabric of our society. Children growing up in Imo State society that is compliant to bill No. 12 would have on cultural, religious, ethical and moral restrictions and no traditional upbringing for which we are known as a people. The impending chaos would lead ultimately to the disintegration of our entire socio-political system.
” This is the goal of the racist foreign sponsors of the bill No. 12, under a deceptive title: Prohibition of Violence Against Persons.
“Revision: “Emotional, verbal and psychological abuse” means a pattern of degrading or humiliating conduct towards any person, including repeated insults, ridicule or name calling; repeated threats to cause emotional pain; or the repeated exhibition of obsessive possessiveness, which is of such nature as to constitute a serious invasion of such person’s privacy, liberty, integrity or security, but does not including normal admonishment of children or persons to correct wrongdoings or in public by Igbo custom, religious norms or accepted good social practices.
Imo bill No. 12 legalizes abortion, sale of ovarian eggs:
Revision of Section 16 (1):
“Any person who commits any form of abortion of an unborn child, sale of human eggs or sperms, abandons the newborn or subject human embryos to inhumane conditions of cold freezing for the purpose of sale, abandons wife/husband, children, age parents or other dependent without any means of sustenance commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or to fine not exceeding N500,000 or to both fine and imprisonment.
The Imo State Agency for the Prohibition of Violence Against Persons
was created as a policing agency with no operational mandate to provide direct assistance to the victims. There is no grant-in-aid provided in the Law. The Law is silent on how to fund the so-called Service Providers. There are no government shelters for victims of Human Trafficking, no means of government funding of maternities to provide for the ‘unborn child’ and their mothers. This is just an agency which ‘only coordinates’ between the so-called Service Provider and the Police.,
Revision: The functions here defined are not a workable and practical role for this agency to serve Imo People. This agency is not necessary but rather these functions fall within the scope of the Ministry of Women Affairs. There is no need for another agency that will continue to increase the size of Imo Government with no real value added to the functions already under the Ministry of Women Affairs.
