Abortion clause 'merely a statement'

Everyone has the right to have his life respected and this right shall be protected by law and, in general, from the moment of conception. - Clause 5(2), Draft Constitution Last month Express Woman drew your attention to this provision. Just a month after being laid in the lower house, womens' groups were calling foul while religious ones were saying 'Amen'. Both factions considered the provision an attempt to block the decriminalisation of abortion. But according to draft composer, Sir Ellis Clarke, that was not his intention at all. In a session with the media on October 13, the former president fielded questions on his controversial could-be constitution for the first time. He began by distancing the Prime Minister from the content of what critics have been calling the "Manning/Ellis constitution".

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