Fact-checking claims on maternal deaths and abortion in Nigeria

A leading gynaecologist says Nigeria fares poorly for maternal mortality and has the world’s highest abortion rates. Is this correct?

Published on 13 January 2022
Africa Check

Nigeria is second only to China for maternal mortality, leading gynaecologist Prof Friday Okonofua recently claimed.

According to the Nation, a daily newspaper, Okonofua was speaking at a news conference in Benin, southern Nigeria in December 2021. He heads the World Bank-backed Centre of Excellence in Reproductive Health Innovation at the University of Benin.

Continued: https://africacheck.org/fact-checks/reports/fact-checking-claims-maternal-deaths-and-abortion-nigeria

13.01.2022

Featured

Ann-Beth Moller

Centre of Excellence in Reproductive Health Innovation

Dr Oluwatosin Wuraola Akande

Nigeria – Breaking barriers to sexual and reproductive health services for women, girls

By MOSES EMORINKEN
On Dec 23, 2021

Young, naive, and brilliant are a few words to describe Funke. The thirteen-year-old indigent student, always worked hard to support her single mother. This was the only way her mother, who worked as a cleaner at a nearby facility could pay for her tuition fees, books, and other important learning materials.

Suddenly, luck smiled at Funke when a private school in the outskirts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, shortlisted her for a full-time scholarship for her senior secondary education.

Continued: https://thenationonlineng.net/breaking-barriers-to-sexual-and-reproductive-health-services-for-women-girls/

Nigeria – 53-year old man, nurse arraigned over forced abortion on 14-year-old girl in Lagos

By Otuya Daniel
December 6, 2021

A 53-year old man, Adekunle Aladesanmi, and a nurse, Wuraola Ibrahim have been arraigned before the Ogba Magistrates Court in Lagos state for allegedly inducing an abortion on a 14-year old girl.

According to a report by PM Express, the incident happened at Temidire Street, Ajegunle, Apapa area of Lagos, where they reside.

Continued: https://thestreetjournal.org/53-year-old-man-nurse-arraigned-over-forced-abortion-on-14-year-old-girl-in-lagos/

06.12.2021

Nigeria – Unsafe Abortion: The Real Pandemic

November 25, 2021

Study Results by Performance Monitoring Action in 2014, with updated dissemination by Lagos State in March 2021, revealed that 6000 Nigerian women die from unsafe abortion-related complications every 12 months. Ayodeji Ake reports

“My mother must not know, she will develop high blood pressure” she said unhappily. Those were the words of Beauty, a 25-year-old damsel who resides in a small apartment with her mother and seven siblings in one of the rural areas in the federal capital territory, Abuja.

Continued: https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2021/11/25/unsafe-abortion-the-real-pandemic/

Nigeria – Unsafe abortion, fourth leading cause of maternal death – VC

Dayo Ojerinde
25 October 2021

The Vice Chancellor, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Prof. Adesegun Fatusi, has said unsafe abortion is the fourth leading cause of maternal death globally.

Fatusi, at a webinar organised by the Academy for Health Development, said safe abortion were procedures carried out using a World Health Organisation-recommended method appropriate to the pregnancy duration and done by a trained provider.

Continued: https://punchng.com/unsafe-abortion-fourth-leading-cause-of-maternal-death-vc/

25.10.2021

Experts lament high rate of unsafe abortions in Nigeria

October 19, 2021
by Chioma Obinna

With over half a million women in Nigeria suffer from complications from abortions annually; medical experts have lamented preventable deaths from abortions in Nigeria and other medium countries.

According to Guttmacher Institute 2020 report, an estimated 33 abortions occur annually per 1,000 women aged 15-49, with little variation across Eastern, Middle, Southern and Western Africa but the rate has remained largely unchanged over the past two decades.

Continued: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/10/experts-lament-high-rate-of-unsafe-abortions-in-nigeria/

Unsafe abortion and maternal mortality in Nigeria

A director of global health nonprofit Pathfinder International claims the high rate at which women in Nigeria die as a result of unsafe abortions is one reason for the country to review its abortion laws. But does his data check out?

Published on 28 September 2021

Unsafe abortions caused 11% of the pregnancy-related deaths of women in Nigeria, Dr Habeeb Salami claimed at a September 2021 training workshop in Abuja, the country’s capital.

Salami is advocacy director for Pathfinder International, a global nonprofit that works to improve reproductive health, HIV and Aids prevention, and maternal health.

Continued: https://africacheck.org/fact-checks/reports/health-check-unsafe-abortion-and-maternal-mortality-nigeria

28.09.2021

Dr Oluwatosin Wuraola Akande

maternal death

maternal mortality

Pathfinder International

World Health Organization

Nigeria – Need for access to sexual, reproductive healthcare services for women, girls

September 20, 2021
By Nnamdi Eseme, The Nation

Sexual and reproductive healthcare worldwide is rapidly evolving with progress being made on adolescent sexual and reproductive health however, Nigeria’s healthcare sector is still running behind to meet up. In this letter, we discuss some areas where Nigeria is lagging and hopes it serves as a call to action to improve sexual and reproductive healthcare especially of young people, women and girls in the country.

Nigeria in recent times has seen her population growing massively with world experts predicting that by 2050, the country will become one of the most populous in the world. This is despite the many challenges she grapples with including poor health, unemployment, insecurity, poverty, among others. Accessing quality healthcare is a major problem in the country and for many women and girls, healthcare includes abortion services.

Continued: https://thenationonlineng.net/need-for-access-to-sexual-reproductive-healthcare-services-for-women-girls/

‘11% Of Maternal Deaths In Nigeria Due To Unsafe Abortions’

By Ojoma Akor and Seun Adeuyi
Thu Sep 09 2021

Eleven per cent of maternal deaths in Nigeria is due to unsafe abortions, the Global Advocacy Director of Pathfinder International, Dr Habeeb Salami has said.

He stated this Thursday in Abuja during a one-day media and civil society organisation engagement training workshop organised by the Balanced Stewardship Development Association (BALSDA).

Continued: https://dailytrust.com/11-of-maternal-deaths-in-nigeria-due-to-unsafe-abortions

09.09.2021

Featured

News

Adeleye Adewale

Balanced Stewardship Development Association

Dr Habeeb Salami

maternal deaths

maternal mortality

Pathfinder International

Unsafe Abortion – Time to Step-Up Family Planning Services in Nigeria

8 AUGUST 2021
Leadership (Abuja)

Unplanned pregnancy and unsafe abortion is still a problem in some societies despite the increase in effective and safe methods of contraception and the distribution of information about these methods. Unsafe abortion constitutes a major threat to the health and lives of women and children.

Unsafe abortions carry a high risk of
maternal mortality and morbidity, accounting for more than 80,000 maternal
deaths per year. Although many countries do not keep statistics on abortions,
there is evidence that millions of "legal" and illegal abortions take
place in the world every year.

Continued: https://allafrica.com/stories/202108090108.html