A consultant gynaecologist with MSI Reproductive Choices Nigeria, Dr Chisa Ugboaja, has called for coordinated action to prevent deaths and complications caused by unsafe abortion in Nigeria.
Ugboaja made the call on Tuesday at the 2026 Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) Media and Storytelling Lab in Abuja.
The event was organised by the 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.
According to her, the consequences could also include mental health problems, while some women die and others survive with severe complications.
Ugboaja said 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 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.
She added that the impact extended beyond deaths recorded as maternal mortality, as many women who survived experienced 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.
Ugboaja said tackling unsafe abortion required interventions at individual, community, health facility and government levels.
She identified Nigeria’s National Guidelines for Safe Termination of Pregnancy as an important resource for reducing unsafe practices and urged healthcare providers to comply with its 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 adopted them.
The gynaecologist 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 healthcare providers.
Ugboaja warned that stigma could prevent women and adolescents from seeking appropriate care, worsening the consequences of unsafe abortion.
Speaking on the role of traditional and religious leaders in changing perceptions, MHR’s Head of Communications, Chibuike Utaka, said cultural and religious beliefs often prevented open discussions about abortion and miscarriage.
He said the silence surrounding the issues reinforced stigma and limited 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.
Utaka 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.
He said Nigeria continued to face a high burden of maternal mortality due to 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 would not eliminate the practice but could 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, 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 reinforcing the need to review the legal framework.
He also cited concerns about incest, which he said had featured prominently in discussions about sexual violence, including during the COVID-19 period.
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 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 responded to contemporary realities and the circumstances surrounding pregnancies.
