A SUMMARY OF WESLEY TAIWO OSEMWEGIE’S (2022) PAPER, “THE ABORTION

DEBATE: AN AFRICANIST ETHICAL APPROACH”.

This paper primarily focuses on the morality of abortion from the perspective of the African
value system. Osemwegie used the Bini ethical standard as a point of reference to assess the
rationality or irrationality behind the contention of abortion. he also explained the meaning,
nature and effects of abortion and also analyzed the various arguments and issues pertaining to
abortion.

Abortion is conceptualized as the intentional and conscious ending of a pregnancy but, where
otherwise is called induced abortion. One of the dangers of abortion is damage of the womb. The
abortion debate has two vital issues which is, whether the fetus or conceptus is a total human
being with the same right and status with that of the mother and if is defensible for the mother to
choose whether to accept or eradicate the baby with whatsoever reasons. Additionally,
Osemwegie stated three problems of abortion, where the first problem arises from two different
positions related to the acceptability or unacceptability of abortion. These positions are pro-life
and pro-choice, where the former sees abortion as morally impermissible because, to them the
fetus has right and is a human being after conception and the latter accept abortion because, they
see the mother to have right over her body to terminate the pregnancy in one’s own will. The
second problem comes from the contention of the value of life and individual freedom and the
third problem comes from the question of when human life starts.

However, according to his paper, three schools of thought in the abortion debate responded to the
question on when human life starts. The first is strong pro-life position, which responded that
human life starts at conception, the strong pro-choice believes it starts at birth and the moderate
position believes it starts when the fetus gets to the stage of viability where is independent of the
mother’s womb. Again, the paper reveals that, conservative argument speaks against abortion
(fetus has right to life), the liberal position speaks for or accept abortion (the mother has right)
and the moderate argument for or against abortion is based on the stage of fetus development.

Again, Osemwegie assessed the morality of abortion and its conceptualization from the African
traditional thought, using the Bini (a tribe in Southern Nigeria) ethical standard. He concluded
that, the act of abortion is a taboo in the Bini society and is seen as wickedness, myopic, immoral
and alien to the traditional Africa society based on the reasons that, the Bini hold the idea of life-
forces in their metaphysical world-view, respect for human life and life starting at conception,
children as blessings from God and He as the life giver and taker, the value of children over
wealth , pregnancy as the need for marriage ceremony and joy and the concept of holism in
Africa, which is contrary to the feminist view about the right of the woman over her body.
HOW OSEMWEGIE DIFFERENTIATED BETWEEN THE AFRICAN VIEW OF ABORTION
FROM THAT OF FEMINISM AND CONSEQUENTIALISM.

Abortion from the African perspective is seen as myopic, wickedness, anti-nature, immoral and
abominable. In the African view, the process starting from conception to birth is holy and
terminating pregnancy is unacceptable since human life is respected. Feminism in their view of
abortion, advocate that the mother has right over her body and with any reason or reasons,
justifiable to terminate it. Consequentialism based the morality of abortion on whatsoever
reasons.

So, how did he contrast the African view with that of Feminism and Consequentialism? He did
that by showing that Africa respecting human life, cherishing children and first born inheritance,
seeing life as sacred regardless of viability, communalistic in nature see abortion as alien and
reject as morally impermissible. Whilst he saw feminists as advocators for individualism and
liberalism since to them abortion is permissible on the basis of the mother having right over her
body. With the consequentialism, he did by showing how they would opt for that or that based
on whatsoever reasons.

Moreover, Osemwegie differentiated the African point of view of abortion from that of the
Feminism and Consequentialism by using the Bini concept and morality of abortion and their
metaphysical world-view or world-view. The Bini conceptualize abortion as a big taboo, their
world –view is hinged on holism and their metaphysical worldview is the thought of life-forces.
Whilst, feminism world-view is hinged on individual rights and consequentialism is the idea of
reasons.
 QUESTION 3

HOW I AGREE WITH OSEMWEGIE’S CONCLUSION THAT THERE SEEMS

TO BE NO PLACE FOR ABORTION IN THE TRADITIONAL AFRICAN SOCIETIES.

To start with, I agree with his conclusion that it does not seem for the African traditional society
to embrace abortion as shown by the values in the sense that, abortion is an act of killing human
being and killing someone is by nature abominable and inhumane since Africa tradition is highly
religious. Abortion has no place in traditional Africa societies because is foreign and was caused
by the influence of the Western ideologies of freedom, rights and choices, which has tended to
corrupt the value of communalistic and holism nature of traditional African thought. Abortion
has no place because, children are blessing and a gift from God but not by chance “ children are
seen as gifts and blessings from God to the parents and the community (Osemwegie, 2022)” .
So, terminating an unborn child or fetus is sinning against the supreme being, which is an
immoral behavior that can lead to bad effects on the person’s life and family.

Again, another reason why I agree is that, since traditional African societies respect human life
and the stage of the fetus development regardless, is seen as human being, make me to agree and
affirm that, abortion has no place in such society “ life in all respects , whether as fetus, is greatly
valued” (Osemwegie, 2022). This is because eradicating pregnancy based on the growth of the
fetus is not accepted. In spite of this, the fetus would grow into a human with life and not to
object, but goes in contrast with the liberal or feminism, “they agree that, a fetus is alive at
conception and that it is genetically human, but they claim that only people have moral rights,
including a right to life, and that a fetus is not a person.” (Osemwegie, 2022)

Lastly, owning to the fact that in traditional African societies, there is ranking of being and the
highest is the Supreme Being, which is then followed by gods, divinities, spirits and ancestors,
which is again followed by human beings , animals and plants .“The whole hierarchy of being,
from the inorganic beings to the spirits, is inter-connected; and this inter-connection provides the
possibility of interaction between the different kinds of being” (Osemwegie, 2022) make it more
plausible in view that, abortion is unacceptable and has no place due to the reason that, a mere
human being is not the creator of mankind and hence has no power or authority to end
something or a life created by God without his permit “it is believed that it is only the Supreme
Deity or Being that can give life” (Osemwegie, 2022).

References
Osemwegie, W. T. (2022). THE ABORTION DEBATE : AN AFRICANISTETHICAL APPROACH. Social Sciences,
Humanities and Education Journal (SHE Journal), 406-420.

References
Osemwegie, W. T. (2022). THE ABORTION DEBATE : AN AFRICANISTETHICAL APPROACH. Social Sciences,
Humanities and Education Journal (SHE Journal), 406-420.