D And C Abortion In Nigeria

Each year in nigeria hundreds of thousands of women become pregnant without wanting to and many women with unwanted pregnancies decide to end them by abortion.

D and c abortion in nigeria.

Under nigerian law performing an abortion is a criminal offense unless the pregnancy threatens the woman s life and penalties for the offense are severe. Abortion is a controversial topic in nigeria. Northern nigeria is governed by the penal code and southern nigeria is governed by the criminal code. In this article we examine the legal status of abortion as well as the causes of corruption in nigeria.

Dilation and curettage d c is a procedure to remove tissue from inside your uterus. Although it is also used after miscarriages to remove tissue. Unsafe abortions can endanger womens reproductive health and lead to serious often life threatening. The only legal way to have an abortion in nigeria is if having the child is going to put the mother s life in danger.

The procedure may be done over a two day period. According to the criminal code which is used in southern nigeria the abortion laws are explicitly in the sections 228 229 and 230. Legalization of abortion in nigeria. Dilation and evacuation d e is an abortion procedure that s used in the second trimester usually after the 14th week of pregnancy.

In nigeria abortion is legal only when performed to save a woman s life. Unsafe abortion is a major contributor to the country s high levels of maternal death ill health and disability. Doctors perform dilation and curettage to diagnose and treat certain uterine conditions such as heavy bleeding or to clear the uterine lining after a miscarriage or abortion. The northern region is majority muslim and is governed by the penal code while the southern region is majority christian and governed by the criminal code.

Still abortions are common and most are unsafe because they are done clandestinely by unskilled providers or both. Because abortion is legal only to save a womans life most procedures are clandestine and many are carried out in unsafe circumstances. Abortion in nigeria is governed by two laws that differ depending on geographical location. Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the.

Two separate abortion laws govern the northern and southern regions of nigeria with the southern region allowing abortions to preserve both the physical and mental wellbeing of the woman. D and c is used clandestinely to carry out abortions illegally in nigeria.