…Says abortion criminalisation pts young women, girls at Rrisk

As Nigeria joins the world to mark the Sept. 28th International Safe Abortion Day, the Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) has warned that unsafe procedures continue to pose serious risks to women and girls, urging stronger health systems, clearer laws and better access to care.

WARDC, in a statement signed by its Executive Chairperson, Associate Professor Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, to mark the day, renewed calls for urgent reform of the country’s restrictive abortion laws, warning that continued criminalisation could undermine efforts to reduce preventable maternal deaths.

According to the organisation, Nigeria cannot effectively tackle its high maternal mortality burden while unsafe abortion remains a significant cause of death and serious injury among women and girls.

WARDC said the 2026 campaign, themed “Solidarity in Action: Advance Reproductive Justice and Urgently Strengthen Health Systems for Comprehensive Abortion Care,” provides an opportunity for Nigeria to confront the human cost of unsafe abortion and strengthen its health system to provide comprehensive reproductive healthcare.

Nigeria continues to carry one of the world’s heaviest maternal mortality burdens, with an estimated 1,000 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, according to the statement.

WARDC said unsafe abortion was among the recognised causes of maternal death, stressing that its consequences extend beyond mortality to include severe complications, disability, stigma and long-term reproductive health problems.

A nationally representative study estimated that about 1.25 million abortions occurred in Nigeria in 2012, with approximately 212,000 women treated for complications of unsafe abortion, while another 285,000 experienced serious complications without receiving the treatment they needed.

The organisation also cited a widely used national estimate of about 6,000 deaths annually from unsafe abortion, but cautioned that the figure remains an estimate, with abortion-related deaths potentially underreported or misclassified.

For WARDC, however, the statistics represent more than numbers.

“Behind these numbers are women and girls whose lives, health and futures can be permanently affected,” the organisation said.

Adolescents face growing concern
The organisation expressed particular concern over the vulnerability of adolescents, citing UNICEF data which puts Nigeria’s adolescent birth rate at 75 births per 1,000 girls aged 15–19, with adolescent pregnancy significantly higher in rural communities.

WARDC said the situation becomes even more troubling where pregnancy results from rape or incest, arguing that survivors should not be exposed to further trauma because of barriers to reproductive healthcare.

“A child who has survived sexual violence should receive protection, healthcare and dignity—not additional trauma, stigma and the risk of an unsafe abortion,” it said.

The organisation argued that criminalisation does not eliminate abortion but can push women and girls who seek to terminate pregnancies into unsafe circumstances, particularly where they cannot obtain timely and appropriate healthcare.

It therefore called for Nigeria to move from an approach centred primarily on criminalisation towards a clear, rights-based and medically regulated framework for safe abortion care.

What legal reform should address
According to WARDC, reform should clearly establish the circumstances under which abortion is lawful, while protecting confidentiality, informed consent and access to qualified healthcare providers and appropriate facilities.

It also called for stronger referral systems and quality post-abortion care, alongside safeguards against coercion, discrimination and unsafe practices.

The organisation urged the Federal Government, National Assembly, state governments and other stakeholders to prioritise legal and policy reforms, health-system investment and accurate public information on abortion and reproductive health.

Akiyode-Afolabi said Nigeria needed to confront the consequences of unsafe abortion as part of its broader response to maternal mortality.

The organisation’s position comes amid continuing debate over Nigeria’s abortion laws and the wider question of how the country can balance its existing legal framework with public-health concerns, women’s reproductive rights and the protection of girls who become pregnant through sexual violence.

WARDC said whatever the legal and policy debate, the health consequences of unsafe abortion could not be ignored.

“No woman should lose her life because she could not access safe healthcare. No child should be pushed deeper into trauma because of a pregnancy resulting from rape,” the organisation said.

It added: “Nigeria cannot reduce maternal mortality while ignoring unsafe abortion. It is time to move from criminalisation to safe, regulated and rights-based abortion care.”