When abortion advocates came to their high school to give a talk, pro-life students in the African republic of Malawi chased them off the grounds and then burned their boxes of condoms and other contraceptives.
Malawi, home to some of the tightest abortion restrictions in the world, is a frequent target of abortion advocates. The government-run Natola Community Day Secondary School regularly welcomes visitors from pro-life organizations. Groups like Human Life International have been educating the students about the dangers of abortion as well as of the deceptions employed in global abortion industry propaganda, Father A. Zikomankhani, executive director of Human Life International Malawi, said in a press release.
On Sept. 29, the abortion advocates from the Family Planning Association of Malawi, an affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, were refused the opportunity to speak and kicked out of the classroom by the students, the press release from Human Life International stated.
According to the release, none of the girls at Natola have become pregnant since the students began receiving talks on chastity, contraception, and abortion. One teacher said he attributes this fact to “the good pro-life message that Human Life International has been sharing with the students.” Those talks began nearly four years ago, a spokesperson for Zikomankhani told The Daily Signal.
Malawi is one of the 10 most religious countries in the world, according to survey research. A 2009 Gallup survey reported that 99% of the Malawi population says religion is an important part of their daily life. However, the government-run schools still attempt to sexualize their young.
“[The] Ministry [of] Health is pushing for free distribution of contraceptives to students in secondary schools while the Ministry of Education, Pro-life Malawi, and many Malawians—we are against this,” Zikomankhani told The Daily Signal in a written statement. “As of now, there is much disagreement between [the ministries] of Health and Education about the issue.”
“The good thing is that the students are able to make the right decisions and embrace the culture of life when [they are] reached,” Zikomankhani said. “This is why we need more outreaches to secondary school[s] to make sure that students are prepared in case IPPF [International Planned Parenthood Federation] representatives visit them. Funding has been a challenge for us to do more to make sure this generation is protected.”
Abortion is legal in Malawi in “cases of sexual assault, rape, incest, and where the continued pregnancy endangers the mental and physical health or life of the woman,” according to the Malawi Center for Reproductive Rights. Elective abortion is banned in the country completely.
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