- That unsafe abortions kill no less than 50, 000 Nigerian girls yearly is tragic
It is bad enough that many girls in the country get pregnant without being prepared for motherhood. It is worse that these unwanted pregnancies are usually aborted. It is tragic that, to go by recent information, more than 50, 000 Nigerian girls die yearly as a result of abortion complications.
This sour statistics, supplied by the Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Ebonyi State chapter, Dr. Chidi Esike, not only mirrored the high scale of abortion-related deaths in the country but also showed the urgent need for proactive solutions to the problem.
It is apt that the gloomy picture was presented to schoolgirls during an awareness campaign by the NMA’s Committee on Girl-Child Education at the Model Girls’ Secondary School, Ugwuachara, Ebonyi State. Dr. Esike observed that a majority of the deaths connected with abortion involve schoolgirls who are victims of unsafe abortions.
It is noteworthy that research carried out jointly by the Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians of Nigeria and Nigeria’s Ministry of Health, indicates that about 20, 000 women in the country risk unsafe abortions yearly.
To make matters worse, statistics show that only 40 per cent of abortions are performed by qualified physicians with proper health facilities. Considering that abortion is unlawful in Nigeria, those that seek abortion from quacks compound the illegality of the act.
In a related development, a study conducted by US-based Guttmacher Institute in collaboration with Ipas, a non-governmental organisation devoted to female reproductive rights, indicates that at least 1. 2 million induced abortions take place in various parts of Nigeria every year.
Olutosin Owolude, a consultant lecturer in the Department of Gynaecology, University of Ibadan, who presented the report in Abuja, said the study was conducted in 2012 and its result was rigorously assessed before publication this year.
“It takes a long time to do this kind of study and to make sure that we do our analyses in a way that we are very confident of the findings,” he declared. According to him, the number of induced abortions nationwide doubled from a previous report in 1996, which gave the number as 610, 000 nationwide.
Abortion is a delicate and controversial issue, no doubt. In cases where pregnancy is considered life-threatening by medical experts, or in cases where pregnancy is the result of rape or incest associated with stigma, there are arguments that abortion ought to be allowed by law.
These examples represent grey areas that will benefit from public debate. It is worth noting that in Nigeria, abortions performed to save life are considered legal provided two doctors endorse it.
It is unhelpful to deny the reality of such apparently compelling reasons for lawful abortion. Pro-lifers who insist on the sanctity of human life and the evil of abortion may need to approach such instances with greater sensitivity and practicality.
It is relevant that Ipas country lead and senior advisor, Hauwa Shekarau, was quoted as saying: “Because of the restrictive nature of the law regarding abortion in Nigeria, many women suffer, due to fear of stigmatisation, among others. Yet every day the numbers of abortion continue to rise.”
There is no question that sex education at the relevant levels is a useful solution. With more awareness, unwanted pregnancies can be minimised with consequent minimisation of unsafe abortions.
However, beyond this, perhaps it would be more effective to discourage sexual activities that lead to unwanted pregnancies. In particular, improved use of contraceptive products should be encouraged.
Ultimately, the adoption of proper values in sexual matters will go a long way in checking the deaths of vulnerable girls and unborn babies, which amount to a double tragedy.
