The Ideological Colonization of Africa: Why do African Countries Need Abortion, Mr. Prime Minister?
The Ideological Colonization of Africa: Why do African Countries Need Abortion, Mr. Prime Minister?
On July 20th, 2023, Global Affairs Canada announced $200 million for sponsorships in accessing reproductive and sexual health services in more than 18 countries, mostly in Africa. Now the question is, why is Trudeau so focused on getting these reproductive and sexual health services spread across Africa? Especially when the large majority of people in these countries believe abortion is morally unacceptable. Such a necessity is further questionable, as there are many more pressing issues: addressing the lack of food, clean water, the atrocities and killings of war, etc. that could be addressed with such ample funding.
And this is not the first time Trudeau has gone all in with the sexual and reproductive health rights movement in the Global South. Since his election in 2015, he has spent hundreds of millions of tax dollars on “sexual and reproductive health and rights”, which entails comprehensive sexuality education, family planning services, including contraception, and abortion services in various developing countries. His former minister of international development, Karina Gould, has been quoted to say these rights are “for a more peaceful world”..., funneling billions of taxpayer dollars into spreading this culture of death and intergenerational trauma.
The plot thickens, as these belief systems are not even in line with current or historical norms of African thought. According to a 2014 study by Pew Research Centre, 92% of Ghanaians surveyed believed abortion was morally wrong, as did 88% of Ugandans, 82% of Kenyans, 80% of Nigerians, and similarly high numbers for other nearby countries. If Trudeau was as anti-colonial and inclusive as he claimed to be, why would he allow money to fund the changing of social norms that have existed for hundreds of years in these countries?
The irony here, is that while Trudeau claims to be anti-racism, anti-discrimination, and inclusive of every culture, he is actively funding initiatives which would exclude the pro-life culture that many of these African countries have cherished for centuries. Trudeau’s platform claims to be remedying the effects of colonialism in Canada, and yet his platform spreads ideological colonialism overseas. Rather than occupying the countries with settlers, these initiatives are creating an ideological occupation, by forcing the foreign ideals of abortion and spreading a culture of death and trauma.
More specifically, let’s take one example from Global Affairs Canada’s $200 million pledge to fund reproductive and sexual health services in Africa. Some of these services are being propagated by NGOs such as IPAS Democratic Republic of Congo. Its goal is to build abortion ecosystems: creating political support, implementing policy, fundraising, service and healthcare delivery, as well as individual and community support. IPAS claims to have “helped” 7438 people receive an abortion at their facilities, supported 56 abortion access points, and reached 116,306 people online to change people’s minds towards accepting abortion.
All in all, Trudeau has a tragic obsession with reconstructing the norms of African societies to include abortion in the picture. This is completely antithetical to his platform of inclusivity, diversity, and anti-colonialism. In fact, it is a form of ideological colonialism, as the vast majority of people in such countries believe abortion is morally unacceptable, in addition to the physical, spiritual, and emotional harms associated with abortion. Trudeau, please stop forcing what you deem as “Canadian” values of abortion and reproductive “health” rights down the gullets of other nations. Let’s start building peace by eliminating murders and death, not encouraging it.
Sources:
“Global Views on Morality” Pew Research Centre. April 2014.
https://www.ipas.org/ourwork/.
https://www.consciencelaws.org/background/procedures/abortion019.aspx