Church leaders in Kenya are vowing to scuttle a decades-long quest for a more democratic constitution over the issue of abortion, and American groups on both sides are weighing in on the debate.

Abortions are illegal in Kenya under current law, but hundreds of thousands of women still seek them each year. The existing law, however, does allow a doctor to perform an abortion if a woman’s life is in danger.

That exception is also included in a proposed constitution due to be put to a referendum later this year. Church leaders fear the phrasing will open the door to legalizing abortion, saying that defining a threat to a woman’s health could be interpreted broadly.

“It opens the door to abortion on demand, which is why Christian organizations who are pro-life are so opposed to that provision,” said Jordan Sekulow, director for international operations at the anti-abortion American Center for Law and Justice, one of the U.S. groups now involved in Kenya’s debate.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-af-kenya-abortion,0,1631979.story