The Ogun State Government has restated its dedication to enforcing the Safe Termination of Pregnancy (SToP) guidelines, designed to ensure safe and lawful abortion care in line with Nigerian law.
The government said the initiative would help lower maternal deaths by expanding access to medically approved, rights-based reproductive health services across the state.
Executive Secretary of the Ogun State Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr. Elijah Ogunsola, made this known at a seminar hosted by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Center for Bridging Health Gaps, held in Abeokuta on Wednesday, the 8th of October, 2025.
Dr. Ogunsola explained that the initiative fits into the government’s broader plan to curb health complications caused by unsafe abortions, particularly among women from low- and middle-income areas.
Speaking on the theme, “Breaking Barriers to Safe Termination of Pregnancy to Save Lives,” Ogunsola described unsafe abortion as a major public health issue and one of the five leading causes of maternal mortality in Nigeria. He pointed out that 97 percent of these deaths occur among women in disadvantaged communities.
He linked these preventable deaths to poor access to accurate information, lack of safe medical services, and deep-rooted stigma surrounding reproductive health.
Ogunsola reaffirmed the government’s readiness to collaborate with health experts, civil society organisations, and legal professionals to enhance the rollout of the SToP guidelines.
He also stated that the right to safe abortion care, within the confines of the law, is protected by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, noting that this provision reinforces the state’s duty to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls through safe and legal reproductive services.
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In her remarks, Executive Director of the Center for Bridging Health Gaps, Dr. Moriam Jagun, described unsafe abortion as one of the world’s most avoidable causes of death but one that continues to threaten the lives of vulnerable women and girls.
She observed that across Nigeria and West Africa, conversations about abortion remain clouded by stigma and silence, which strengthens the need for collective action to protect women’s health and dignity through safe and lawful services.
Jagun urged governments, policymakers, healthcare workers, religious leaders, and civil society to collaborate in widening access to life-saving, evidence-based reproductive care. She stressed that women should have opportunities to make informed choices within a clear legal and rights-based framework.
During a panel discussion on “Strengthening Abortion Services as Life-Saving Care,” Director of the Citizens Rights Department, Mrs. Oluwakemi Lawal, explained that abortion can be legally carried out in cases where pregnancy threatens a woman’s life or physical health, including instances of rape, cancer, or incest. She emphasised that such procedures must be performed by qualified medical professionals in safe and hygienic settings.
Dr. Olusoji Jagun, representing the Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians of Nigeria (SOGON), added that safe abortion supports women’s right to make informed reproductive choices without fear of legal or social consequences. He called for increased public awareness about the SToP guidelines and the importance of safe abortion services for women’s health and wellbeing.