Dare Babalola
Ogun State government has announced plans to prioritise safe and legal abortion services as a key strategy to reduce maternal deaths and promote reproductive health in the state, amid growing concerns over the high rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria.
This was made known in a statement by the Executive Secretary of the Ogun State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Elijah Ogunsola, on Friday
Ogunsola vowed that the state will ensure that it implements the Safe Termination of Pregnancy guidelines to enhance safe and legal abortion services, as permitted by Nigerian law.
Giving reasons for the move, he noted that it is part of the state’s efforts to reduce maternal mortality by ensuring access to medically supervised and rights-based reproductive healthcare services, adding that the initiative aligns with ongoing strategies to address the health and safety risks associated with unsafe abortion, particularly among women in low- and middle-income communities.
He said, “There is an urgent need to address unsafe abortion as a public health crisis.
“Unsafe abortion remains one of the top five direct causes of maternal mortality in Nigeria, with an alarming 97 per cent of such cases occurring among women from low- and middle-income backgrounds.
“These preventable deaths are often the result of limited access to accurate information, safe services, and the stigma surrounding reproductive health.”
Ogunsola added, “The Ogun State Government is, however, committed to working collaboratively with key stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, civil society organisations, and legal experts, towards strengthening the implementation of the Safe Termination of Pregnancy (SToP) guidelines.
“The right to access safe abortion care within legal boundaries is supported by provisions in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This constitutional backing reinforces the state’s responsibility to protect the health and rights of women and girls through lawful and medically safe reproductive health services.”
In Nigeria, abortion is legal only when performed to save a woman’s life. Yet, abortions are common, and most are unsafe because they are done clandestinely, by unskilled providers, or both.
