The House of Representatives has advanced a constitutional amendment aimed at safeguarding the life of unborn children carried by pregnant women, sentenced to death.
Sponsored by Rep. Babajimi Benson, the bill seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to safeguard the lives of unborn babies of convicted women. The proposed legislation would alter Section 33 of the Constitution by adding a new subsection mandating that pregnant women convicted of capital crimes receive life imprisonment sentences instead of a death sentence.
Under the proposal, a new subsection (1A) would be inserted to state: “Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, where a pregnant woman is convicted of an offence punishable by death, and it is proved to the satisfaction of the court that she is pregnant, the court shall sentence her to life imprisonment.”
The proposal followed the adoption of a bill by the House Committee on Constitution Review, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu.
During the debate, Rep. Benson emphasized the bill’s intention to preserve the lives of innocent unborn babies. The bill successfully passed its second reading and has been referred to the Committee on Constitution Amendment for further legislative action.
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