Liberalisation of Nigeria's abortion laws with a focus on pregnancies resulting from rape: An empirical analysis

Abstract

SUMMARY One of the reasons why women seek abortion in Nigeria is to get rid of unwanted pregnancies resulting from rape. However, due to the prohibition of the procedure, in such circumstances many women resort to secret and mostly unsafe abortions. These abortions contribute to the soaring rates of maternal deaths and morbidity in the country. It is against this background that this article examines the Nigerian laws on abortion and elicits peoples' attitudes to the call for liberalisation thereof, with a focus on pregnancies resulting from rape. The study employs both the doctrinal and the non-doctrinal methods of research. The doctrinal method comprises a contents analysis of literature and the law. The non-doctrinal method consists of field research to obtain information via interviews, which is imperative because of the dearth of primary data to work on. The field research involves representative participants that are selected using a purposive sampling technique. Findings are presented on thematic bases. It is established that the current law is dysfunctional and counter-productive, and that people support its liberalisation. Consequently, the study concludes that an effective strategy to combat unsafe abortion and enhance women 's reproductive health in Nigeria is to liberalise the law to conform to the nation's treaty obligations, while deriving insights from the South African experience. Key words: rape; unsafe abortion; reproductive autonomy; right to choose; Nigeria