The head of the federal ministry of health’s health promotion section, Barrister Nma Ogbonna, has disclosed that the government is reviewing policies and regulations to increase access to safe Abortion across the country. She made this statement in Abuja at the SRHR summit 1.0 hosted by the Media Health & Rights Initiative of Nigeria (MHR), , which was held in commemoration of World Contraception Day with the theme “A Choice for All: Freedom to Plan, Power to Choose. Ogbonna noted that relevant ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) are examining certain parts of the Criminal Code 1090 regarding abortion in order to guarantee safe healthcare options for Nigerian women and adolescents.
She went on to say that the nation’s health promotion department was putting in a lot of effort to address maternal fatalities and educate the public about sexual and reproductive health and rights. Dr. Elijah Olushola, Executive Secretary of the Ogun State Primary Health Care Department stated that unsafe pregnancy termination performed on teenagers and young adults are responsible for about 20 to 30 percent of maternal deaths in Nigeria. He bemoaned the lack of regular data on pregnancy termination and also supported that the nation’s abortion regulations needed to be reviewed.
Nigeria currently has extremely tight abortion regulations.
Dr. Ufuoma Omo-Obi, Board Chair of Media Health & Rights Initiative of Nigeria asserted that the World Contraception Day serves as a reminder of the crucial need to guarantee that everyone, particularly adolescents and women with disabilities, has access to contemporary, effective contraceptive methods. Omo-Obi noted that making contraception freely accessible to all will contribute to lowering the high rate of Maternal Death in the nation. He urged all parties involved to reaffirm their dedication to achieving the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all Nigerian women and girls.
Legal limitations, social stigma, and limited access to reproductive health care in the country make pregnancy termination a delicate and complex issue. The Criminal Code in the southern States of Nigeria and the Penal Code in the northern states both have extremely restricted abortion regulations that only allow it when they are conducted to save a woman’s life. There is a potential 14-year prison sentence for performing an unlawful pregnancy termination. Many women are compelled to seek pregnancy terminations in dangerous and covert situations due to these restrictions. The World Health Organization (WHO) categorized unsafe pregnancy termination as a serious Public Health concern in Nigeria that raises the risk of maternal morbidity and mortality.
Around 2 million unsafe abortions carried out per year.
Nearly all pregnancy terminations performed in Nigeria are dangerous, according to research from the Guttmacher Institute and Nigerian academics. These procedures are frequently performed by inexperienced medical professionals or through risky self-inflicted techniques, which raises the possibility of serious side effects like infection, bleeding, and even death. Whereas, a large number of women experience chronic health issues, such as infertility. According to a Guttmacher Institute report from 2018, there were around 2 million unsafe abortions carried out in Nigeria each year. In 2012, the estimated abortion rate was 33 per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 49.
This implies that pregnancy termination is widespread and frequently connected to unwanted pregnancies despite legislative restrictions. These figures demonstrate how much the nation needs to do to enhance access to safe treatments and reproductive healthcare. In an effort to lower the number of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe pregnancy terminations, a number of groups, including foreign non-governmental organizations and Nigerian health advocates, have been pushing to increase access to Family Planning services, contraception, and sexual education. Enhancing post-abortion care (PAC) for women who encounter problems is the focus of some initiatives. Many women still have limited access to safe reproductive healthcare services in spite of these efforts, particularly those who live in rural communities.
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It is anticipated that ongoing discussions and advocacy initiatives targeted at examining existing regulations to address the high rates of unsafe pregnancy terminations and enhance Maternal Health outcomes will provide a favorable effect and alter the narrative. However, it is unlikely that Nigerian abortion laws will be fully liberalized in the near future. Currently, the priorities involve expanding access to safe post-abortion care for women, reducing unwanted pregnancies, and enhancing maternal healthcare. Even in the absence of significant legislative changes, increasing access to these treatments and educating the public more about reproductive health might greatly lower the number of unsafe pregnancy terminations.