In a video address to lawmakers and civil society leaders on April 16, U.S. Congressman Chris Smith issued a scathing denunciation of the proposed Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Healthcare Bill in Sierra Leone, calling it an “existential threat” to the lives of unborn children and a “violent assault” on both women and babies.Speaking as the keynote speaker during an event organized by the Civil Society Network (CSN) Sierra Leone, Smith urged parliamentarians to reject the bill and instead invest in maternal health infrastructure and pregnancy resource centers.
He described abortion as a “reproductive wrong” and accused international organizations and pro-abortion NGOs of aggressively pushing what he called the “baby poison pill” Mifepristone in African countries.“I respectfully and urgently appeal to you today to defend women and unborn babies,” said Smith, who chairs the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and has served in Congress for over four decades. “The so-called Safe Motherhood legislation… will decapitate, dismember and starve unborn babies to death, all while employing euphemisms and slogans to cover up the violence.”Smith’s message underscored not just his long-standing pro-life stance, but also a broader ideological clash over reproductive rights in Africa. He criticized the UN for promoting Mifepristone, recounting a meeting with Secretary-General António Guterres in which he claimed the UN chief was unaware of the drug’s effects.
According to Smith, abortion-related deaths in Sierra Leone account for only 2.9% of maternal deaths, far less than what pro-choice advocates suggest. Instead, he pointed to hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, and infections as the leading causes of maternal mortality, issues that he said could be addressed through increased training, emergency care, and better infrastructure.“Abortion is not healthcare,” he declared. “Healthcare preserves life, it does not seek to end the life of a unique human being.
”Citing programs by organizations like Maternal Life International, Smith called for scaling up initiatives such as Safe Passages, which train birth attendants and establish emergency services for pregnant women. He insisted these approaches are the true solution to Sierra Leone’s high maternal mortality rate, not legislation that would legalize abortion.Throughout his remarks, Smith appealed to the values of life and faith, urging Sierra Leone’s leaders to “stand firm” against what he characterized as pressure from the global abortion industry.“Every child is precious in the sight of God, as it should be in ours,” he said.
The remarks drew support from some local civil society leaders, including CSN’s Glenis Mani Ngaujah and Reverend Ambassador Saa Samuel Sam, who organized the event. However, the Safe Motherhood bill remains a subject of heated debate within Sierra Leone’s parliament, where supporters argue it would reduce unsafe abortions and empower women with healthcare choices.Smith, who authored the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act and other landmark laws, framed his plea as a continuation of his broader human rights work.“We have a responsibility to protect the weakest and most vulnerable among us, the unborn, whose voices we cannot hear,” he concluded.
