Oct. 4, 2024

Health sector stakeholders have raised concerns over the alarming rate of unsafe abortions in Nigeria, which records approximately 610,000 cases annually.

This was revealed during the Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Summit 1.0 on Friday in Abuja, held to commemorate World Contraception Day 2024.

The event, organised by the Media, Health, and Rights Initiative of Nigeria (MHRIN), had the theme: “A Choice for All: Freedom to Plan, Power to Choose”.

Speakers at the summit highlighted the urgent need to address the high number of unsafe abortions and called for increased access to contraceptives as a key solution to preventing unplanned pregnancies and reducing maternal mortality.

In his opening remarks, Dr Lucky Palmer, Country Director of IPAS Nigeria Health Foundation, emphasised the importance of allowing Nigerian women to make their own reproductive choices.

Palmer highlighted the challenges women faced in expressing themselves, especially in healthcare settings.

He cited a case where a woman with hearing disabilities had to rely on her son to interprete her diagnosis of a sexually transmitted disease, illustrating the embarrassment and barriers women encountered due to disabilities or financial constraints.

According to him, unplanned pregnancies are preventable and that Nigeria, contributing 28 per cent of global maternal deaths, should ensure free access to contraceptives.

He called on stakeholders to intensify efforts to make contraception available to all women, including young and single women, not just the married.

He shared alarming statistics, stating that 610,000 unsafe abortions occurred annually in Nigeria, leading to 285,000 complications and 20,000 deaths, half of which were adolescent girls.

Unsafe abortions, he noted, contributed significantly to Nigeria’s high maternal mortality rate, one of the highest globally at 1,500 per 100,000 births.

“Only 16 per cent of Nigerian women of reproductive age use any form of contraception, with even fewer using modern methods,” he said.

He added that 28 per cent of pregnancies in Nigeria are unintended, and nearly half result in induced abortions, with uneducated women and those from poor communities more likely to experience unsafe abortions.

“Among girls under 19, 72 per cent of deaths are due to unsafe abortion complications.

“Despite legal restrictions, induced abortions are common in Nigeria, with an estimated 1.25 million performed in 2012,” he said.

He noted that though Nigeria ratified the Maputo Protocol, abortion remained legal only to save a woman’s life, and the country’s contraceptive prevalence rate remained critically low at 16 per cent in 2023.

Dr Ufuoma Omo-Obi, Board Chair of MHR, stressed that one of the key factors that would bring joy to Nigerian youths included access to healthcare, particularly for pregnant women, as this would help reduce Nigeria’s heavy maternal mortality burden.

“It is essential that we unite to combat maternal mortality rates in Nigeria by ensuring that contraception is available to all women.

“Nigerian women should not hesitate to engage in discussions about safe contraception and address these challenges. Many people are unaware of how to approach these issues.”

He stressed that every woman should have the right to choose, noting that the Federal Government’s restrictive abortion laws have only been adopted by five states.

“With more states adopting this framework, we could reverse the maternal mortality crisis in Nigeria,” he said.

He also noted progress under the current administration, highlighting the Federal Government’s provision of four million dollars and the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) contribution of six million dollars towards SRHR in the country.

Prof. Rosemary Ogu, National President of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), called on the three tiers of government to do more of what they were doing by opening up funding for public health, and contraceptives and making pregnancy carefree in the country.

Ogu lamented that women should be able to plan and choose in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Dr Ejike Orji, said that there had been a 40 per cent reduction in maternal mortality over the period of eight years, but Nigeria still had the highest number of maternal mortality in the world.

Orji lamented that 70 per cent of people who died were below 15 years of age.

He said before now, donors had been supporting family planning with funds.

“We must make family planning a legislative agenda. The last minister of health refused to release money in his last three years but the new minister has released four million dollars and the donor agency six million dollars,” he said.

Ogbonna Nma, Head of the Health Promotion Department of Federal Ministry of Health, disclosed that the government was working toward expanding access to safe termination of pregnancies in the country.

Nma, a Barrister, said some sections of the criminal code 1090 on abortion were being looked into among relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) towards ensuring safe healthcare options among Nigerian women and adolescents.

She said the health promotion department was working assiduously to educate the populace on sexual reproductive health and rights, and tackling maternal deaths in the country.

Dr Elijah Olushola, Executive Secretary, Ogun State Primary Health Care Department, said over 20 per cent to 30 per cent of maternal deaths in Nigeria were as a result of unsafe abortion amongst adolescents and young people.

Olushola lamented the unavailability of routine data on abortion, adding that there is a need for a review of abortion laws in the country

Meanwhile, Dr Lilian Anomnachi, Country Director of TA Connect, said that at TAConnect, they made sexual and reproductive health a key focus of the broader Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) interventions.

“Our efforts aim to improve care during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, reducing risks for mothers and infants.

“We provide education on contraception, STIs, and family planning services while addressing gender inequality and removing barriers to accessing SRH services,” she said.

Anomnachi said that by strengthening health systems and expanding access to contraception, the country would empower women to make informed reproductive choices.

“Our collective efforts are crucial in shaping better SRHR outcomes for women and girls in Nigeria,” she said.

The summit concluded with a call for urgent action to improve access to contraceptive services and family planning education, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

This is aimed at curbing the high rates of unsafe abortions and reduce maternal mortality. (NAN)