By Juliana Francis
An 18-year-old secondary school student lost her life following complications from an unsafe abortion procedure.
Her elder sister, Iyabo, recounted the harrowing experience, explaining that the teenager initially complained of severe stomach pain and was placed on medication for three days. Instead of improving, her condition deteriorated rapidly.
“She became too weak to get out of bed, sit upright, or even stand. Alarmed, we rushed her to the hospital,” Iyabo said.
At the hospital, doctors revealed that the young girl had undergone what they described as a “half abortion.”
According to Iyabo, the medical team explained that the foetus had not been fully evacuated, leaving retained tissue that caused severe abdominal pain and ultimately led to her death.
Further investigations revealed that the teenager and a friend had first approached a hospital but could not afford the cost of the procedure.
They later sought help at another facility that charged less, where the unsafe abortion was carried out.
Iyabo expressed deep sorrow over the incident and urged parents to be more attentive to their daughters’ emotional and behavioural changes.
“Parents should pay close attention to daughters who suddenly become withdrawn or unusually quiet. Such behaviour could signal an unintended pregnancy and a consideration of unsafe abortion,” she advised.
This tragic case highlights the dangers of unsafe abortion practices and the urgent need for accessible reproductive health services and awareness campaigns to protect young women from preventable deaths.
Associate Professor of Law, Department of Public Law, University of Lagos, Dr Akinola Akintayo, said the suspension of the STOP Guidelines has further restricted women’s access to safe abortion services in Lagos State.
According to him, available evidence suggests the suspension discouraged healthcare providers from offering necessary care for fear of repercussions and stigmatisation from professional colleagues and the public.
He adds: “The suspension is a violation of the right to life provisions of relevant international conventions, to which Nigeria is a signatory, as well as the right to safe abortion services specifically guaranteed by the Maputo Protocol.
“The suspension also violates the right to life provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999, as well as Section 201 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, which exempts the preservation of the life and health of a pregnant woman from the prohibition of abortion under that law.”
Akintayo noted that human rights lawyers can pursue public interest litigation to protect pregnant survivors of sexual violence, relying on the right to dignity and other constitutional guarantees, as well as the African Charter and other applicable human rights instruments.
“The surest safeguard against unsafe abortion is the reform and expansion of current abortion frameworks, coupled with the establishment of institutional and social support systems to promote and advance the sexual rights and health of vulnerable segments of Nigerian society,” Akintayo said.
This report was facilitated by the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) as part of the Memorial Campaign on Ending Preventable Deaths from Unsafe Abortion in Lagos State. Series 5
