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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