Stakeholders Urge Legal Reform, Wider Access To Tackle Unsafe Abortion In Nigeria

In a bold call to action, medical experts, lawyers, and policymakers have demanded an urgent and pragmatic approach to curbing unsafe abortion and other gender-based violence in Nigeria. The high-level roundtable, held in Abeokuta on Wednesday, focused on advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Ogun State.

Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, founder of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, underscored the life-threatening consequences of unsafe abortion, which remains a major contributor to Nigeria’s staggering maternal mortality rate the second highest globally after India.

“Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world,” she said. “A significant percentage of this is due to unsafe abortion practices. We must act to save women and girls from dying unnecessarily.”

She emphasized that the newly adopted Ogun State guidelines extend beyond cases of rape and incest, covering medically necessary terminations due to conditions such as cancer or diabetes.

Speaking on behalf of the Ogun State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Permanent Secretary Mrs. Adejumoke Adewole reiterated the state’s commitment through the STOP policy—a strategic guideline designed to improve access to safe termination services.

“We must escalate awareness,” she said, “and ensure the STOP policy receives legislative backing. This would give it the necessary legal force to protect women and girls, especially victims of rape and incest.”

Caroline Wambue, Senior Gender Equality Adviser at the Centre for Reproductive Rights in Nairobi, commended Ogun State for interpreting national law to develop its own actionable framework. She urged other Nigerian states, including Lagos where similar guidelines were recently suspended to adopt comparable measures.

Adding medical context, Dr. Olonode Luqman warned that unsafe abortion remains a leading cause of maternal mortality, contributing to approximately 13% of related deaths nationwide.

“Women often turn to untrained providers,” he said, “and that leads to fatal complications. We need more access to trained professionals, legal support, and community awareness.”

As Nigeria continues to battle systemic gender-based violence and a fragile healthcare landscape, stakeholders agreed that policy reform, education, and legal protection must work hand in hand to ensure that no woman is left to suffer or die because of a lack of options.

“The adoption of national health insurance and the emergence of Ogun state health insurance has made access to health very cheap, for people, so it’s important that our people get information, it’s the information that will drive change.

“When people know that all their health needs can be met within the existing medical establishment in the state and it has been subsidized through health insurance they would have access to it. My advice for people is to key into some of those government policies,” he said.