Nigeria – Health advocates seek reinstatement of suspended Lagos pregnancy guidelines

At the programme, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, a professor, stated that the state still records about 400 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, describing the figure as unacceptable for a megacity.

by Emmanuel Agbo
July 8, 2026

Health advocates have renewed calls on the Lagos State government to reinstate the suspended Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications (STOP Guidelines), saying the policy could provide doctors with clearer clinical guidance and help reduce preventable maternal deaths.

The call was made by the Project Manager for Pamoja, Rumunse Obi, in an article titled “Dr Majek and the Ghost: Why Lagos Must Revisit the STOP Guidelines”, shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday.

Continued: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/health/health-news/893830-health-advocates-seek-reinstatement-of-suspended-lagos-pregnancy-guidelines.html

Nigeria -ÀJOSE: Stakeholders demand open dialogue on women’s health, bodily autonomy

January 22, 2026

Professionals in filmmaking, healthcare and the creative industries have demanded that more attention be paid to maternal mortality, medical ethics, safe and unsafe abortion, consent and the social pressures that often limit women’s agency in healthcare settings.

The experts spoke at a film and dialogue event held in Lagos to foster more informed and nuanced conversations around women’s health and bodily autonomy in Nigeria.

Continued: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/01/ajose-stakeholders-demand-open-dialogue-on-womens-health-bodily-autonomy/

22.01.2026

ÀJOSE: The Stories That Bind Us

Care or Control?

Chika Okoli

Dr Majek and the Ghost

Sierra Leone’s Abortion Access Bill Could Make History, But it Faces Pushback

From religious groups to a lack of adequate sensitization, the Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Healthcare bill faces a range of challenges that could further endanger the people who need it the most.

February 18, 2025
Nelson C.J.

Sierra Leone is close to rewriting its future. The West African country is considering passing a bill safeguarding safe abortion rights and reproductive health. The Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health CareBill was first introduced in 2024 and culminates efforts from women's movements and campaigns beginning with the Safe Abortion Act (2015), which faced obstacles in the legislative arm.

This new bill proposes a comprehensive and inclusive approach to safe abortion procedures in Sierra Leone, a country where a large percentage of the country's mortality rate (one of the highest in the world) is caused byunsafe abortions.

Continued: https://www.okayafrica.com/sierra-leone-safe-abortion/

18.02.2025

News

abortion law reform

Africa Christian Professionals Forum

Rumunse Obi

Safe Abortion Act (2015)

Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Care Bill

Experts seek reforms to curb unsafe abortions

By Paul Adunwoke
06 June 2024

Health experts have reiterated the importance of new policies to address unsafe abortion in the country.

They said policy reforms will encourage revising the legal framework to expand the grounds on which abortions can be performed legally and would help in reducing the incidence of unsafe procedures.

Continued: https://guardian.ng/features/experts-seek-reforms-to-curb-unsafe-abortions/

06.06.2024

News

Abbey Crains

Campaign to End Unsafe Abortion

Dr Modupe Adedeji

maternal mortalty

Media Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria

Sanwo-Olu keeps mum on suspended Lagos abortion guidelines two years after

2nd June 2024
By Angela Onwuzoo

Two years after the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, directed the suspension of the implementation of the state’s new policy guidelines on the provision of safe abortions, the governor has yet to lift the suspension despite appeal by stakeholders.

Some stakeholders who spoke exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise on the need for the governor to reinstate the guideline without further delay, revealed that cases of unsafe abortion in the state had assumed a worrisome dimension due to the economic hardship.

Continued: https://punchng.com/sanwo-olu-keeps-mum-on-suspended-lagos-abortion-guidelines-two-years-after/