Much of the narrative about aid and Africa is about the need for “reproductive health services”, especially “safe abortion” across the continent. However, Ugandan MPs were left shocked at what Marie Stopes International is doing to women across Africa in the name of reproductive rights.

Members of the Uganda Pro-Life Parliamentary Caucus invited Obianuju Ekeocha, the founder and president of Culture of Life Africa to put on a screening of her groundbreaking documentary, Strings Attached

Tracing foreign aid money

Strings Attached, which had its UK premiere at an event in the House of Commons hosted by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, exposes how Western overseas aid is being used to fund dangerous contraceptives which are administered to women with minimal or no informed consent, especially in rural areas, as well as illegal abortions which have harmed so many African women and of course killed untold numbers of unborn babies.

It follows what happens to the millions of pounds of foreign aid given by Western donors, and the UK Government in particular, to so-called sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Africa, and features interviews with women who have had their lives devastated by the pushing of abortion and contraceptive devices by organisations such as Marie Stopes.

Exposing the neo-colonial agenda

The screening was well attended by several members of parliament from various parts of Uganda, parliamentary staff and members of the press. The Ugandan representatives were horrified to learn about how millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money from the West (particularly the UK) is being used to fund illegal abortions and dangerous contraceptives which harm and kill huge numbers of African women and children.

Lucy Akello, MP for the Amuru District said: “If this money, the millions of dollars and euros, if it is translated into educating a girl child in Africa, how much difference would that have made?”

Another MP said that Africa does not need western organisations telling its people how to control their fertility. “The problems of Africa will not be solved by people outside Africa,” he said. “They will be solved by the Africans themselves.”

Ms Ekeocha echoed that point, saying that western donors’ preoccupation with family planning in Africa constitutes a new form of colonialism.

The event was later reported on to the entire country at the 8pm news by the national TV network.

Ms Ekeocha told SPUC that she was inspired to take Strings Attached to Uganda after the screening in the UK Parliament, as well as showings in the White House and in Canada. She said: “The support from the Ugandan MPs was just incredible. It was such a fruitful event.”

She now hopes to take the documentary to as many African countries as possible, and there is already a screening planned next week at an event jointly hosted by the Nigerian Permanent Mission to the UN and C-Fam. “The devastation caused by Marie Stopes, backed by western donors, needs to be exposed, and a true culture of life promoted.”

There has been debate recently about charities promoting a “white saviour” mentality when doing charity work in Africa. The first thing to look at, in changing these attitudes, would be the vast sums of money spent on promoting practises antithetical to the pro-life values of most people in Africa.

LifeNews Note: Courtesy of SPUC. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children is a leading pro-life organization in the United Kingdom.