The Catholic Church Response to the Reproductive Healthcare Bill: The Kenya Experience

Abstract

The Reproductive Healthcare Bill 2019 is an attempt to legalize and implement part of the provisions for Mpauto Protocol 2012 in Kenya. The Bill is going through the stages of approval in the Kenya Senate. However, the Bill is faced with opposition from different quarters including the Church.  The leadership of the church plays a very strategic role in the shaping and mending the moral fabric of the society. It forms one of the keys drivers of ethics in a society. This paper explores the response of the Catholic Church in Kenya towards this Bill. The study sought to explore the response of the Catholic Church in Kenya towards the Reproductive Healthcare Bill 2019.The reproductive Healthcare Bill 2019 is divided into eight parts. This study dealt with three parts; part two on Access to Family Planning Services, part four on Termination of Pregnancy and part seven on Reproductive Health of Adolescents. The study employed a desktop approach where secondary information was searched from books, journals articles and online sources.  The study established that the Catholic Church in Kenya upholds the traditional teachings of the Roman Catholic Church with regard. The teachings of the Catholic Church do not uphold any form artificial manipulation of human sexuality but believes in the Natural Law. Further, The Catholic Church views termination of pregnancy as sinful and against the biblical teachings and the Constitution of Kenya.  The study also established that the view of the Catholic Church in Kenya regarding Comprehensive Sexuality Education as a foreign ideology that aims at introducing unacceptable, both religious and cultural, vices in the adolescents. While the church position is against the legislation and implementation of the Bill, the study also found out that the Church has provide alternative methods of handling the issues in the Bill. To the Church, these alternative ways are more acceptable and in sync with not only the church teachings, but also with the cultural traditions and the Constitution of Kenya. The study concludes that legislation of this Bill has no constitutional, cultural and religious backing. The backing provisions of the Bill have negative consequences to the intended target and would only benefit the supporters who receive huge funding from the sponsors.   Further, the study observes that any change in a system would be successful if it is approved of by the majority for its good intentions. Involvement of key stakeholders, assessing the implications of the change, considering the cultural and religious background of a people will also determine the extent of success.