Religious mother bodies in Malawi have voiced strong opposition to the recent High Court judgment on abortion, describing it as a worrying development that threatens the sanctity of life and the moral fabric of the nation.

Secretary General for the Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops Very Reverend Father Valeriano Mtseka reaffirmed their united stance in defending the protection of both mothers and unborn children.

Mtseka said they are consulting legal counsel to explore appropriate steps in response to the ruling and have since engaged the Office of the Attorney General, one of the defendants in the case, to consider appealing against the decision.

“We remain hopeful that the Government, known for its respect for the cultural, moral, and religious values cherished by the majority of Malawians, will act accordingly to safeguard our laws from alterations that undermine the will and values of the people,” said Mtseka.

According to Mtseka, the mother bodies have appealed to Members of Parliament to uphold the country's current laws and resist any attempts to legalize abortion through policy manipulation. They urged MPs to emulate their predecessors who previously rejected the proposed Termination of Pregnancy (TOP) Bill.

"We call upon our Members of Parliament to once again stand united in defending life and resisting any attempt to manipulate our laws to justify the taking of innocent unborn lives,” said Mtseka.

While acknowledging the hardships faced by women and girls with unplanned pregnancies, the religious leaders emphasized that abortion is not a solution. 

They called for compassionate national dialogue aimed at supporting vulnerable women while preserving life.

"As faith leaders, we are fully aware of the hardships faced by women and girls who experience unplanned or difficult pregnancies but we firmly believe that ending the life of an unborn child is not the solution,” said Mtseka.

The leaders maintained that Malawi’s existing laws adequately protect both mothers and unborn children and warned against expanding abortion grounds, arguing that doing so could pave the way for abortion on demand.

However professor Adamson Muula from Kamuzu University of Health Sciences says the religious leaders needs to come out clear and declared their stand on the issue of contraceptives provision to females as they have been against it.

He said the women and girls needs to be consulted to get their views on how they want the issue handled as they are mostly the victims.

"Its the same religious leaders that have been reluctant that adolescent girls be given contraceptive methods," said Professor Muula.

Now health expert Professor Maureen Chirwa says Members of parliament are members of regious groups therefore belonging to certain faith with values of life of unborn baby who cannot defend him/herself.

She said Faith values remains clear on protecting life of unborn and mothers and their faith should guide them rather than being pressurised from values outside their faith.

"What the parliamentarians together with religous leaders should be aiming to address are the factors that lead to need for criminal abortion". Said Professor Chirwa.

On 28th October 2025, the High Court in Blantyre gave its rulling that girls who fell pregnant after being raped should be given a chance to access safe abortion services.