Dr Chisa Ugboaja, a consultant gynaecologist with MSI Reproductive Choices Nigeria, has decried the dangers of unsafe abortion and called for coordinated action to prevent avoidable deaths and complications.
Ugboaja made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Media and Storytelling Lab 2026.
The event was organised by Media Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria (MHR), in collaboration with MSI Reproductive Choices Nigeria.
She said unsafe abortion could expose women to life-threatening complications, including severe bleeding, acute renal failure, damage to reproductive organs and loss of fertility.
The gynaecologist said the consequences could also include mental health problems, adding that while some women die, others survive with severe complications.
Ugboaja added that unsafe abortion contributed to maternal mortality in Nigeria, estimating that it accounted for about 10 per cent of maternal deaths.
She defined unsafe abortion as the termination of a pregnancy by an unskilled person, using obsolete or unapproved methods, or in an unsafe or inadequate environment.
“Some people die. Some people escape by the skin of their teeth. They are just what they call near-miss,” she said.
Ugboaja said the impact extended beyond deaths recorded as maternal mortality, as women who survived could suffer serious complications.
“That also is a catastrophe. So, the impact of unsafe abortion is huge in Nigeria and we cannot just wave it off,” she said.
She said addressing unsafe abortion required interventions at the individual, community, health facility and government levels.
The gynaecologist identified Nigeria’s National Guidelines for Safe Termination of Pregnancy as an important resource for reducing unsafe practices, urging healthcare providers to adhere to the provisions.
She said the guidelines were developed through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, with support from partners, adding that several states had also domesticated them.
Ugboaja called for increased public awareness to address stigma and encourage women experiencing abortion-related complications to seek medical attention.
“The more we stigmatise people, the more they are isolated, the more they feel unable to seek for help and fear grows,” she said.
She also called for adolescent-friendly reproductive health services, noting that young people with reproductive health concerns sometimes avoided healthcare facilities because of judgmental attitudes among providers.
Ugboaja said stigma could prevent women and adolescents from seeking appropriate care, thereby worsening the consequences of unsafe abortion.
Speaking on the role of traditional and religious leaders in changing perceptions, Mr Chibuike Utaka, Head of Communications at MHR, said cultural and religious beliefs often prevented open discussions about abortion and miscarriage.
Utaka said the silence surrounding such issues could reinforce stigma and limit access to information and support.
“That is the same reason why when a woman miscarries, you don’t even mention it. They hide it,” he said.
He said traditional and religious leaders could help change perceptions by engaging communities on the consequences of unsafe abortion and the importance of preventing maternal deaths.
Utaka said Nigeria continued to face a high burden of maternal mortality driven by several factors, including weaknesses in the health system, inadequate resources and shortages of medical professionals.
He stressed the need to address misconceptions about abortion and improve public understanding of existing legal provisions and health regulations.
According to him, restricting discussions about abortion does not eliminate the practice but could instead push women towards unsafe methods.
“A woman that doesn’t want to keep a pregnancy will never keep it. Do whatever you want to do, they will find a way,” he said.
Utaka called for greater collaboration with traditional and religious leaders to improve knowledge, reduce stigma and encourage women to seek appropriate care.
He said efforts to prevent maternal deaths should include ensuring that women understood the options available under existing laws and followed appropriate medical guidance.
On the legal framework, Mr Bamidele Jacobs of Lawyers Alert called for a review of Nigeria’s laws regulating the termination of pregnancy to reflect contemporary realities.
Jacobs said relevant provisions of the Penal Code and Criminal Code were outdated and required reconsideration in view of emerging social and security challenges.
“It is important that Nigeria begins to look at the existing laws on issues of safe termination of pregnancy, in view of the development that we have on our hands these days, so that these laws can be brought to terms with realities,” he said.
He said the Penal Code was introduced in 1961, while the Criminal Code dated further back, arguing that their provisions needed to be assessed against present-day circumstances.
Jacobs identified insecurity, insurgency, rape and sexual assault among the issues that reinforced the need to review the legal framework.
He also cited concerns about incest, which he said had become more prominent in discussions of sexual violence, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lawyer said Nigeria could draw lessons from other African countries that had adopted different legal approaches to abortion.
He cited Tunisia and South Africa as examples, noting that South Africa permits termination of pregnancy on request during the first trimester without requiring another person’s consent.
Jacobs also referred to developments in other African countries, including the Benin Republic, arguing that Nigeria needed to examine its laws and consider amendments or new legislation to address current challenges.
He said reviewing the legal framework would help ensure that the country’s laws were responsive to contemporary realities and the circumstances surrounding pregnancies.
