Women Empowering Women Initiative (WEWIN)
July 15, 2025
The conversation around abortion in Nigeria is slowly shifting. In Lagos State, the suspension of the Safe Termination of Pregnancy (STOP) guideline continues to highlight just how contentious and urgent the issue of safe abortion is. Across global platforms, there is growing advocacy for decriminalising abortion to reduce unsafe procedures and maternal deaths. These policy debates and calls for reform are essential, but they are only the beginning.
Decriminalising abortion or adopting progressive guidelines can remove the threat of prosecution. They can provide frameworks for hospitals to offer care without fear of sanctions. But laws on paper do not always translate to safety in practice. Without deliberate efforts to address stigma, health system readiness, community norms, and the broader socio-economic barriers that women face, legal change alone will fall short of ensuring that abortion is truly safe, accessible, and dignified.