Abortion in Nigeria
In Nigeria, abortion is illegal and perceived to be a taboo except if it is performed to save the life of a woman.[1] Abortions that meets these requirements are considered legal provided two physicians certify that the pregnancy poses a threat to the life of the woman.[2] Abortion, which has been one of the most controversial issues in the Nigerian society is governed by two laws, one for the predominantly Muslim state in Northern Nigeria and another for the predominantly Christian states in Southern Nigeria.[3] Related to criminal law of India and Pakistan, the Penal Code, Law No. 18 of 1959 is in effect in the predominantly Muslim state in Northern Nigeria. In the Southern states, the holding of Rex v. Bourne is applied, which allows abortions to be performed for physical and mental health reasons.[4]
Statistics
According to a research made by the Guttmacher Institute in 1996, Nigerian women obtain approximately 610,000 abortions, a rate of 25 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 each year.[5] These figures are estimated to have increased to 760,000 in 2006.[6] The research further revealed that only 40% of abortions are performed by physicians with improved health facilities while the remaining percentage are performed by non-physicians.[5]
Impact of strict abortion laws
Since abortion is illegal in Nigeria, many women resolve to unsafe abortion methods thereby leading to abortion-related complications and increasing mortality and morbidity rates in the country. In a further research made by the Guttmacher Institute, an estimated 456,000 unsafe abortions are done in Nigeria every year.[7] In a joint research carried out by the Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians of Nigeria and Nigeria's Ministry of Health, estimates of women who engage in unsafe abortion were put at about 20,000 each year.[8]
Further reading
- Abortion Law in Nigeria: The Way Forward. Women's Health and Action Research Centre. 2000. ISBN 978-978-044-770-0.
- Irehobhude O. Iyioha; Remigius N. Nwabueze (28 February 2015). Comparative Health Law and Policy: Critical Perspectives on Nigerian and Global Health Law. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4724-3677-1.
References
- ^ "Policy on Abortion in the Nigerian Society" (PDF). Diva Portal. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
- ^ Ludovica Iaccino (2 June 2015). "Boko Haram: Nigeria urged to ease abortion laws for girls raped by terrorists". International Business Times. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
- ^ "Nigeria's Abortion Provisions". Reproductive Rights. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
- ^ "ABORTION POLICY: Nigeria". United Nations. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
- ^ a b Stanley K. Henshaw, Susheela Singh, Boniface A. Oye-Adeniran, Isaac F. Adewole, Ngozi Iwere, Yvette P. Cuca. "The Incidence of Induced Abortion in Nigeria". Guttmacher Institute. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Sudhinaraset M. "Reducing unsafe abortion in Nigeria". Retrieved 11 August 2015.
- ^ Rachel Ogbu (28 February 2013). "Illegal abortion in Nigeria: The cringing reality". YNaija. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
- ^ Abiodun Raufu. "Unsafe abortions cause 20 000 deaths a year in Nigeria". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
