Exploring the Influence of Roman Catholic Church Opposition to abortion reform in Rwanda from a Human Rights Perspective

Abstract

This research examines the influence of the Catholic Church on the legal reform of abortion in Rwanda. According to the Penal Law that determines offences and penalties in Rwanda and the Ministerial Order determining the conditions for abortion, it is only a licensed medical doctor who performs abortion, and this service can only be provided at hospital level. Rwanda is comprised of 55 hospitals, some of which are run by the while 40% are operated by the Catholic Church. The hospitals owned by the Catholic Church do not provide services related to family planning, contraceptives, and abortion. The campaign to advocate for safe abortion in Rwanda was started in 2009 by a group of activists from the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). In 2012, the government reformed the Penal Code of 1978 and put a Court Order requirement. In 2015, a group of CSOs formed a coalition that initiated another advocacy drive for the removal of 2012 Penal Code’s Court Order requirement for women to access abortion. During the reform process, the Catholic Church wrote a letter to the President of the Republic opposing the reform and also issued a statement that it will not permit provision of family planning, contraceptives, and abortion services in their hospitals. Despite the progressive reform of the abortion law and the Constitution of Rwanda which guarantees the right to good health, women find it hard to access abortion in areas where the available hospitals are run by the Catholic Church. Rwanda counts for one hospital per district and only one doctor per 8,592 Rwandans, and yet 85% of the population lives in rural areas and hospitals are located in distances far from their homes. Strategies such as task-shifting from medical doctors based at the hospitals to the trained nurses and midwives based at the health centres, and use of Public Interest litigation, role of Civil Society in advocacy and establishment of conscientious objections are proposed to ensure full access of safe abortion information and services for women and girls in Rwanda.