The Ogun State Government has disclosed that safe pregnancy termination guidelines have been released as a legal requirement for the welfare of pregnant women “whose pregnancy could pose danger to their lives and physical health.”
Dr. Tomi Coker, the state’s commissioner for health, made this statement at the unveiling of a document outlining safe abortion options for pregnant women.
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Coker said the government was giving a “standardised medical service for women that find themselves in certain situations such as rape, incest, cancer, and hypertension among others.”
Coker asserted that the new agreement, which received support from various parties, including state leaders who are both Muslim and Christian, does not equal to the government legalising abortion.
According to her, the goal of creating the document was to lower the number of avoidable deaths among mothers-to-be and victims of domestic abuse.
Speaking at the STOP launch in Abeokuta, Coker said the policy offers victims of gender-based violence a standard medical therapy.
She further noted;
There has been a law in place in Nigeria and Ogun State that tells us in what situation that abortion can be carried out. Because we want to avoid misinterpretation of that and also empower our clinicians to carry out their duties within the boundaries of the laws on the land, that is why we have articulated it in black and white.
I like to point out that this document is important for health care workers that encounter women in this category. It must be emphasised that Ogun State does not legalise abortion.
What we are doing is giving standardised medical service for women that find themselves in certain situations such as rape, incest, cancer, and hypertension, among others. There are legal situations where a pregnancy cannot continue, and what we are doing is to make sure these women have access to medical care,
