NAIROBI, November 11, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Nairobi gynaecologist-obstetrician, Dr. John Nyamu and two nurses, Marion Kibathi and Mercy Mathai, are being charged with 15 counts of murder after the bodies of aborted babies were discovered on the Uhuru Highway.
The struggle to legalize abortion in Kenya has been bolstered by international abortion advocate groups such as the UNFPA and International Planned Parenthood Federation, and has the support of some of the medical community in Kenya. Nyamu is claiming that the charge of murder is an infringement of his fundamental and constitutional rights and freedom.
The abortion supporters, led by the chairman of the Kenya Medical Association, Dr Stephen Ochiel, clashed in the hallways of the court when Dr. Nyamu and the two nurses arrived. “If a woman dies while undergoing an illegal abortion she will not have a chance to have another baby,” said Ochiel. Father Emmanuel Ngugi of the Holy Family Basilica, who led the pro-life group, responded that whether abortion is done by an expert doctor or in the bush, it still remains murder and should not be allowed whatsoever. The Kenya Medical Association chairman issued an order to medical professionals to support Dr. Nyamu but the order raised protests. A Kisumu doctor, Dr. Otieno Obondi called the move ‘unethical’ and said doctors should not be dragged into matters that are immoral and that justice should prevail. Nyamu is claiming that the charge of murder is “incurably defective and incompetent in law.” He is arguing that the charge contradicts freedoms of expression, opinion and communication, and violates his constitutional rights to free conscience and freedom of thought. The case which was scheduled to begin today was delayed when the prosecution said it was not ready to proceed. AllAfrica.com coverage: https://allafrica.com/stories/200411110206.html ph