Chioma is adamant that baby Hope is her son. Credits: BBC
In certain regions of Nigeria, a disturbing trend is occurring: "miracle clinics" are exploiting women suffering infertility by promising them babies through divine means. The women involved not only have to contend with medical issues, in many communities, women unable to have children face shame and exclusion, and are left to deal with their own grief.
Into the shameful space of infertility step those who identify themselves as prophets, as fake doctors, and who offer the gift of hope with costly rituals, pretend medical interventions, and the use of staged religious practices. Some women, during what they are led to believe is appropriate medical care, endure months, and in some cases years, only to be presented with a baby that is not theirs, a baby who has been passed off as their miracle from God. Some women are so taken that they are convinced they were pregnant for a year or more, even when faced with medical evidence to the contrary.
What is occurring behind the scenes is not miraculous at all; many of these children are purchased or abducted from poor, often coerced, mothers who are then sold and delivered through miracle clinics as a gift from God, while law enforcement is either ineffective, indifferent, or complicit.
This isn't about faith, it’s about profit. And belief, tragically, becomes the tool that sustains the lie.
References:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78dyryreyxo
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