The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Liberia (CABICOL) has rejected provisions relating to abortion in the country’s new Public Health Bill, insisting that “we once more unequivocally reject the concept of justified abortion as contained in the New Health bill.”
In a statement issued on 7 June 2026, the bishops also distanced themselves from a position attributed to the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia, which had endorsed the legislation in its entirety.
The bishops said, “While the Catholic Church shared some important values like justice, peace, reconciliation, human dignity, etc with our Brothers and Sisters of other faiths, we want to categorically state that we are not in agreement with the Inter-Religious Council in endorsing and requesting the passage of the New Public Health Bill of Liberia in its entirety.”
Recalling their earlier intervention on the matter, they noted that, “Let it be recalled that on the 29th Day of August 2023, we issued a statement in which we called on the National Legislature to reconsider part X, Health and Related Rights chapter 49. Sexual and Reproductive Health of this bill.”
Grounding their position in Scripture and Catholic teaching, the bishops said, “In line with the dictate of Divine Mandate (THOU SHALL NOT KILL, EXODUS 20:13), in line with the Teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which states that 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐬𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝
𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐝 (CCC 2319), we once more unequivocally reject the concept of 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 as contained in the New Health bill.”
The bishops further urged Catholic institutions and the faithful to uphold life, insisting that, “We call on all our Catholic Health Institutions, and all men and women of goodwill, to respect life, from the moment of conception to its natural end.”
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