HM the King Receives Justice Minister, Islamic Affairs Minister & CNDH President

PERSISMA – HM King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, received, on Friday in the Royal Palace of Casablanca, Justice and Liberties Minister Mustapha Ramid, Endowments and Islamic Affairs Minister Ahmed Toufiq and President of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) Driss El Yazami, the Royal Household said in a statement.

During the audience, the two ministers and the CNDH President presented to HM the King the results of the extensive consultations that the Sovereign tasked them with regard to the issue of abortion, the same source said.

The actors in the extensive consultations unanimously commended the Royal initiative and the consultative approach instructed by the Sovereign to achieve an objective and wise opinion that gives priority to the supreme interest of family and citizens.

These different consultations showed that the bulk majority are in favour of criminalizing illegal abortion except for some force majeure cases due to serious health, psychological and social repercussions on women, the family, the fetus and the whole society. Such cases include:

Firstly: When pregnancy endangers the life and health of the mother;

Secondly: In cases where pregnancy was caused by rape or incest;

Thirdly: In case of serious malformations of the fetus or its contraction of incurable illnesses.

Against this background, HM the King gave high instructions to the Minister of Justice and Liberties and to the Minister of Health to coordinate and involve specialized doctors in order to elaborate a legal arrangement draft encompassing the findings of these consultations. The aim is to include this document in the penal code and submit it for adoption in full respect of the precepts of Islam and the values of moderation, openness of the Moroccan society.

Given that the law alone cannot fight this phenomenon, HM the King stressed on the need of prevention and raise awareness raising to help spread scientific knowledge and ethics relating to this issue with a view to imunising society against the causes of abortion, the statement went on to say.

The audience was attended by Advisors to HM the King, Fouad Ali El Himma and Abdellatif Mennouni and Health Minister El Hossein El Ouardi.

Surce: MAP 15 May 2015