The Pentecostal Fellowship of Sierra Leone (PFSL) an umbrella body for Pentecostal and Charismatic churches in Sierra Leone, which has chapters in all 16 districts of Sierra Leone with zones in the Western Area Urban and Rural, has put out their position paper on the proposed Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Healthcare Bill.
During a press conference held at the Lord Is My Shepherd Church- Waterloo on Tuesday 7th January 2025, PFSL disclosed that they have the mandate to speak on behalf of their wider constituency; therefore, they believed that Christians are called to a culture of life and not of death. This is beautifully enshrined in the Holy Scriptures from the start to the finish:”/ have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10).
Emphasising that, “Abortion is alien to our culture and our religious values.”
Proverbs 31:8-9 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. I New Living Translation (NLT).
Extract from the position paper indicated that “The Pentecostal Fellowship of Sierra Leone wishes to state that the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Sierra Leone has to review the priority and attention given to this matter over the overwhelming need to focus on the main health concerns of the nation than to take Parliament and the people of Sierra Leone through the present stress that this Bill is putting us through. We will refer the Chairman of the Legislative Committee of Parliament to the Maternal Death Surveillance and Response District Annual Report 2020 (MDSR, 2020) of the Reproductive and Child Health Directorate of the MoH, Sierra Leone.
In the Foreword, the Honorable Minister, Dr. Austin Demby, writes “Every year in Sierra Leone, hundreds of pregnant women lose their lives whilst giving birth. An overwhelming number of these maternal deaths in Sierra Leone are due to preventable factors.
Sierra Leone, the presence of more than 1,200 healthcare facilities providing primary, secondary and tertiary care services, has made it possible to bring access to health care close to the doorsteps of millions of households. However, mothers and children continue to suffer from poor health conditions, permanent disability, and needless loss of lives from preventable illnesses that are amendable with simple public health measures. Most deaths of pregnant women in the Africa region take place in the first week after delivery especially within the first 24 – 48 hours and are directly related to the quality of care and the health workforce”.
He continued to further write “All sectors of government therefore need to collaborate to improve not just the quality of healthcare, but also the quality of life of our mothers and children.”
In section one of chapter three, on page six, of the MDSR 2020 Report, it reads “Figure 1 shows a summary distribution of maternal deaths nationwide for the year 2020. In total there were 547 reported maternal deaths in all districts – a drop from 581 reported in 2019.” Even though other reports raise a big query to these statistics, what the report presents here differs significantly from what the Government ministers are presenting to the public. This report is sufficient to advice the Government of Sierra Leone and Law makers to focus on and give priority on the use of our limited resources on the other six majors causes of maternal mortality (Obstetric hemorrhage/ bleeding 39.4 percent, Hypertension 15.8 percent, obstructed Labour 21percent, Sepsis 10.1 percent) than on abortion which accounts for a minute percentage (2.9 percent) (Shafiq Y, Caviglia M, Juheh Bah Z, et al. 20I6 to 2019: analysis of districts’ maternal death surveillance and response data of death. If even we rely on external funding, we should prioritize our needs according the reality on the ground than by what others deem to be more important.
The position paper signed by the President and Vice President of PFSL, Bishop Akintayo Sam-Jolly and Rabbi Tambi Eric Mbayo represents the views of the 16 districts chapters of the Fellowship.
