A Catholic priest has slammed human rights activists who are advocating for decriminalization of abortion in the country saying they must remember that life begins at conception.

Fr. Tony Mfune, a curate at St. Augustine Parish of the Diocese of Mzuzu, said during a homily Sunday when he commented on the recent pastoral letter issued by the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), in which they’ve taken head on hot-button issues of homosexuality, abortion and population control measures.

“Human rights activist forget that they can’t talk about human rights where there’s no life. They’re talking of rights today because someone cared about them and didn’t take their lives away when they were still in the wombs. Why then should they advocate for an end to other people’s lives?” wondered Mfune who urged Malawians to read and reflect deeply on the statement.

He said, however, the church uses the principle of the lesser evil as regards the issue of abortion in circumstances where the expectant woman is seen to be in imminent danger by her pregnancy.

He said: “If the expectant mother’s life is in danger, the church teaches that the life of the mother should be saved in a situation that we call using the principle of the lesser evil.”

The cleric was probably reacting to some human rights activist in the country who criticized the bishops for not being able to separate matters of State and church.

Centre for the Develeopment of People (Cedep) executive director Gift Trapence had said before the letter was read out to Malawi catholics last Sunday that “bishops can’t impose their beliefs on the society.”

He had added: “Malawi is a secular State and the Constitution is the supreme law.”