Beyond Slogans: The Abortion Crisis In Nigeria

Recently, the Order of Knights of St Mulumba of the Catholic Church organised their annual Pro-Life Walk and Talk, calling on Nigerians to shun abortion and reflect on its numerous consequences.

Speaking at the programme, themed “Protect the Unborn, Human Life is Sacred,” Rev. Fr. Jude Mary-Owoh highlighted several dangers associated with abortion and urged young people to value their lives and avoid choices that could jeopardise their future.

Referencing findings published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, he stated that women who had undergone abortion procedures faced increased risks of mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression and substance abuse.

Abortion remains one of the most divisive and emotionally charged issues in Nigeria because it intersects with religion, culture, law, public health and the fundamental questions of bodily autonomy and social justice.

Understandably, many Nigerians oppose abortion on moral and religious grounds, believing that human life must be protected from conception to natural death.

Such convictions deserve respect in a deeply religious society such as ours.

However, beyond moral arguments lies a difficult and often painful reality that cannot be ignored.

Unsafe abortion has become a major public health concern in Nigeria, contributing significantly to maternal deaths and long-term health complications among women and girls.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), abortion refers to the termination of pregnancy through medical or surgical means before foetal viability.

The organisation distinguishes between spontaneous abortion, commonly known as miscarriage, and induced abortion, which is the intentional termination of pregnancy.

Reports indicate that thousands of Nigerian women and girls die annually from complications arising from unsafe abortions.

While some estimates put the figure at about 6,000 deaths yearly, the Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians of Nigeria believes the number may be considerably higher.

Accurate statistics remain difficult to obtain because abortion is heavily stigmatised and largely illegal, forcing many procedures underground and beyond official records.

Globally, the WHO estimates that about 121 million unintended pregnancies occur every year, with nearly 60 per cent ending in abortion.

In Nigeria, unsafe abortion accounts for a significant proportion of maternal deaths in a country already burdened by one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates.

Reports place maternal mortality at more than 1,000 deaths per 100,000 live births — a grim reflection of the weaknesses in the nation’s healthcare system.

Under Nigerian law, abortion is permitted only when necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman. Both the Criminal Code applicable in southern Nigeria and the Penal Code in the North impose severe restrictions on the procedure.

While the intention behind the law may be to protect life, the harsh reality is that restrictive legislation has not eliminated abortion.

Rather, it has driven desperate women and girls into unsafe and clandestine procedures carried out in unhygienic conditions by unqualified persons.

The contradiction between the law and social reality becomes even more glaring when viewed against the rising incidence of rape, incest and sexual violence across the country.

Police records and court proceedings continue to reveal disturbing cases involving fathers, stepfathers, relatives and other trusted adults abusing minors and vulnerable women.

The National Human Rights Commission has also documented numerous cases of rape and sexual violence in recent times.

Many of these crimes result in unwanted pregnancies that leave victims traumatised physically, emotionally and psychologically.

For a teenage girl impregnated through rape or incest, the situation is often devastating.

Some are forced to abandon their education, while others face rejection from their families and communities. In such circumstances, reducing the issue of abortion to simplistic moral slogans fails to address the deeper social crisis confronting the nation.

When women with unintended pregnancies face barriers to safe, affordable and non-discriminatory reproductive healthcare, many resort to unsafe abortions.

Studies by reproductive health organisations have repeatedly shown that criminalisation and stigma do not necessarily reduce the number of abortions; instead, they increase the likelihood that such procedures will be carried out dangerously.

A recent study by the Leadership Initiative for Youth Empowerment (LIFE) revealed that Nigeria continues to record alarming rates of maternal deaths linked to unsafe abortion practices.

Despite the legal restrictions, women still seek abortions, often under life-threatening conditions, because they fear shame, poverty, social exclusion or the inability to care for a child.

This newspaper believes that the abortion debate in Nigeria cannot be resolved through condemnation alone. It requires honesty, compassion and pragmatic policymaking. A meaningful response must rest on three critical pillars: prevention, safety and dignity.

First, Nigeria must invest more seriously in preventing unintended pregnancies through comprehensive sex education, especially for young people, as well as wider access to contraception and reproductive health services.

Many adolescents in Nigeria still grow up without accurate information about sexuality and reproductive health, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation, disease and unintended pregnancy.

Second, the country must strengthen maternal healthcare and ensure that women facing medical emergencies receive prompt and professional treatment without fear of stigma or persecution.

Public health policies should prioritise saving lives rather than merely preserving appearances.

Third, society must learn to treat women and girls facing crisis pregnancies with empathy and dignity instead of shame and condemnation.

Every unwanted pregnancy has a human story behind it — often involving poverty, abuse, coercion or despair. Ignoring these realities only deepens the suffering.

If Nigeria genuinely seeks to protect life and promote human flourishing, it must confront the gap between rhetoric and reality.

Policies should be guided not only by moral ideals but also by compassion, evidence and the urgent need to reduce preventable deaths.

The true measure of a humane society lies not merely in the laws it enacts, but in its willingness to protect the vulnerable, support the distressed and uphold the dignity of every human life.