By Paschal Norbert
HARARE, FEBRUARY 5, 2026 (CISA) – The Catholic Bishops of Zimbabwe have issued a strong and detailed condemnation of a proposed bill seeking to liberalize the country’s abortion laws, warning that the legislation would undermine the sanctity of human life, weaken the family, and erode the moral foundations of society.
In a statement dated February 4, 2026 amid ongoing legislative debate, the bishops reaffirmed their constitutional, moral, and pastoral duty to speak “clearly in defense of life at every stage and in every circumstance,” describing abortion as a fundamental human rights issue that concerns not only believers but all people of good will.
Zimbabwe’s current legal framework permits abortion only under narrowly defined and exceptional circumstances. However, proposed amendments under consideration by lawmakers seek to expand access to abortion, including provisions that would allow minors to procure abortions without parental or guardian consent and without spousal involvement in marriage.
It is against this backdrop that the Catholic Bishops of Zimbabwe released their statement, expressing alarm at what they describe as a radical departure from established legal safeguards and ethical norms.
“Such a shift departs from established legal safeguards and undermines the dignity of the family,” the bishops warned, noting that the proposed changes weaken parental responsibility and spousal mutual support while “eroding the sanctity of marriage” and potentially accelerating social and relational breakdowns at a time when divorce cases are already rising at a worrying rate.
The statement sought to achieve three main objectives: to oppose the legalization and normalization of abortion; to urge legislators to uphold constitutional protections for unborn life; and to call for alternative, life-affirming responses that support women, children, and families.
The bishops argued that the Bill fails to account for the profound psychological, emotional, and moral consequences of abortion. While counselling may be offered, they caution that “it cannot erase the deep wound left by the intentional destruction of a defenseless human being.”
Reaffirming long-standing Catholic teaching, the bishops quote the Second Vatican Council’s Gaudium et Spes: “From the moment of conception, life must be guarded with the greatest care, while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes.”
Grounding their position in both faith and reason, the bishops insist that reverence for human life is not an exclusively religious concern.
“In our time, abortion has emerged as a fundamental human rights issue that confronts all people of good will, not only believers,” the statement says.
They further argued that no African, no Zimbabwean, and no adherent of the great religious traditions can support abortion without undermining the moral foundations upon which society is built. Invoking the Fifth Commandment, the bishops’ stressed that “You shall not kill” admits no exception for convenience or social pressure.
The statement also draws on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which teaches: “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion… Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or as a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law” (CCC 2271).
They cautioned that the proposed amendments would trivialize an act that entails the deliberate ending of a human life simply because that life is incapable of defending itself.
“No human being has the moral authority to sentence another to death,” the bishops stated, adding that from the moment of conception, the unborn child is “a human being in the process of maturation and deserving of protection.”
At the same time, the bishops expressed openness to collaboration with legislators in crafting supportive, morally acceptable alternatives to abortion. These include robust prenatal care, counselling services, and sustained social and economic support for vulnerable women and children.
In a broader appeal, the bishops thank all those “of faith or none” who have consistently worked to protect unborn life and the life of the mother, including women who have carried pregnancies to term under difficult circumstances and legislators who have strengthened protections for life.
“Abortion cannot be used as a means of resolving conflict over a child already living in the womb of its mother,” the bishops stated, urging Zimbabwean society to choose life, solidarity, and compassionate support over laws that permit the destruction of the most defenseless.
