The Lagos ministry of health has unveiled new policy
guidelines on the provision of safe abortions for residents.
According to a statement on Tuesday by the ministry, the
guidelines will focus on ensuring the reduction of “preventable deaths” caused
by unsafe abortion procedures.
“In a bid to guide healthcare providers in Lagos State to
provide safe and lawful abortion services within the ambit of the law, the
State Government through the Ministry of Health has developed a policy document
on safe termination of pregnancy,” the statement reads.
“The 40-page policy document, tagged ‘Lagos State Guidelines
on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications’ sets out guidelines for
safe termination of pregnancy within the ambit of the criminal law of Lagos
State.”
Speaking at a stakeholders’ event during the presentation of
the document, Olusegun Ogboye, permanent secretary, Lagos ministry of health,
said the policy document was part of efforts to “provide evidence-based data
and information for health workers in public and private sectors who have the
requisite skills and training necessary to provide safe terminations to reduce
preventable deaths”.
He added that while “therapeutic termination of pregnancy”
is legal under Lagos law, there are no clear guidelines on proper care for
persons who require such services.
“In 2011, the Lagos State House of Assembly updated the
criminal code, providing for abortion to save the life and protect the physical
health of the woman. While physical health is covered under the Lagos legal
framework, services conforming to the law have not been available in Lagos
State health sector,” Ogboye was quoted as saying.
“This document provides information on relevant laws
applicable in Lagos State while providing standards and best practices with
regards to legal indications, pre and post procedure care, methods and
monitoring.
“I must state here that this document has undergone wide
consultation with relevant technical stakeholders within the legal and health
service context in the State.”
According to the statement, the permanent secretary said the
process for the guidelines began in 2018, and involved the input of
stakeholders within Lagos and across the south-west, supported by the Society
for Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Nigeria (SOGON) and the Population
Reference Bureau (PRB).
Ogboye added that the project on the development of the
policy document revolved around inclusive practices on provision of safe
abortion services, including the legal implications regarding the Violence
Against Persons Prohibition Act, and supporting women to terminate pregnancies
caused by rape or incest.
“To guide the
implementation, one of the follow-up recommendations of the project was the
adaptation of the National Standards and Guidelines for Safe Termination of
Pregnancy within Legal Indications within the Lagos State context,” he said.
“The Federal Ministry of Health had developed and
disseminated the national guidelines on safe termination of pregnancy which
highlights the compendium of conditions and circumstances under which
termination of pregnancy could be instituted.
“The guideline was intended to build the capacity of health
professionals to identify pregnancies for which legal termination could be
instituted. Marie Stopes International in Nigeria in collaboration with the
Population Reference Bureau proposed to support the State government to adapt
the document.
“All that hard work has culminated in today’s dissemination
of the guidelines. We hope this dissemination today will help guide health
providers to provide this service within the ambit of the law.”
Meanwhile, the development comes days after the US supreme court overturned Roe v. Wade, the historic 1973 ruling that affirmed the constitutional right to abortion in the US.
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