Christopher de Souza: Make compulsory adoption information in abortion counselling

Member of Parliament (MP) Christopher De Souza, who has never shied away from the fact that his values as informed by the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, has asked the government to promote adoption over abortion.
Saying the total fertility rate (TFR) which now stands at an average 1.24 births per woman of childbearing age is “much lower than it needs to be”, the MP said that it is important to inculcate a culture of adoption in Singapore. This will provide an alternative for pregnant mothers considering abortion, and could also boost our flagging total fertility rate (TFR), said the MP.
The MP reiterated that one of the remedy for the aging population and an economy affected as a result of that would be to increase the TFR. Mr De Souza believes that government programmes which will allow mother to choose adoption over abortion will “organically” fix the problem.
“I strongly believe if adoption is more widely publicised as a comforting, loving, nurturing and voluntary alternative, there will be a reduced number of abortions in Singapore,” said the MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.
The MP asked the government to include information about adoption in the mandatory pre-abortion consultations pregnant women in Singapore have to go through before terminating their pregnancies.
“Many of these women are not aware of, or have thought about, the option of adoption. It can be publicised more widely, and greater efforts can be made to provide pregnant women with information about adoption,” Mr De Souza said.
“By understanding the process and benefits of adoption better, they can make informed decisions when considering abortion. There are many wholesome, loving and beautiful traits in adoption – not just for the family but for the adopted child, who can grow and be nurtured in a loving family environment,” the MP added.
Mr De Souza and his family are very involved in serving the Catholic Church and have even been featured in the Catholic Church’s publications.
In his message to the Catholic Church in December last year, Archbishop William Goh spoke against advocating for abortion in the guise of being merciful to children who grow up without parental love.