As part of efforts to celebrate International Women’s Day and put an end to maternal mortalities of young girls and women, Women Advocate Research Documentation Centre(WARDC) in collaboration with a multi-donor that promotes sexual and reproductive health rights has called on the Lagos State government to reinstate the Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indication which provides for safe abortions for victims of rape, incest and other health-related issues which serves as threat to the lives of women and girls.

The Executive Director of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) and Convener of the Pink Movement Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, made this call at a peaceful walk organised at Lagos Airport Hotel in Ikeja on Wednesday 6 March 2024 while decrying the high rate of maternal mortalities within Lagos State. It would be recalled that on 29 June 2022, the Lagos State Government presented and launched a 40-page policy document titled ‘Lagos State Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indication’, to set out guidelines for safe termination of pregnancy within the ambit of Lagos State Criminal Law. On July 8, 2022, the document was, however, suspended by the state government due to pushback by some religious groups.

According to Dr. Akiyode-Afolabi, the peaceful walk is a movement that is being launched to allow women to be given choices to either keep or get rid of pregnancies from rape and incest to reduce maternal mortality rates by ensuring the safe termination of pregnancy within the ambit of the law but was suspended on July 8 2022 while noting that this guideline is effective at the national level and some other states like Ogun State and Lagos state has refused to adopt its provisions.

The Executive Director of Reproductive Justice Initiative Foundation, Olasupo Bada underscored the dire situation faced by women and girls in matters of pregnancy, particularly in cases involving incest and rape. Bada expressed concern that these women often resort to seeking the services of unqualified practitioners, leading to tragic outcomes while stressing the importance of lifting the suspension on guidelines.

Bada argued that such a move would contribute significantly to reducing maternal mortality in Lagos and called upon the Lagos State government to endorse and implement these guidelines, providing every woman and girl with a crucial choice in their reproductive health decisions. In his words, “We are not asking for unbridled abortion, what we are asking for is for victims of rape, incest, and women with chronic health conditions such as chronic pelvic pain, uterine perforation, pelvic inflammatory diseases, and others, to be able to decide whether or not they want to keep a pregnancy.

A director at WARDC, Mary George- Peluola highlighted a concerning trend, revealing that approximately ten cases of incest have been reported to WARDC between 2023 and now. Among these cases, a distressing incident involved a fourteen-year-old who recently gave birth. George-Peluola emphasised that lifting the ban on these guidelines would provide medical practitioners with the opportunity to safeguard women’s lives, steering them away from resorting to unsafe and illegal abortion practices.

Aisha Sanni
news@wfm917.com
Women Radio 91.7