The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered the suspension of the “State Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications” issued by the Directorate of Family Health and Nutrition in the state’s ministry of health.
The suspension of the implementation of these guidelines is to allow the state executive council enough time to deliberate on the matter due to the criticism from different interest groups that have trailed the policy since it was announced.
This disclosure is contained in a statement issued by the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, on Thursday, July 7, in Lagos.
Abayomi in the state pointed out that suspension of the implementation of the abortion guideline will ensure adequate public sensitisation and stakeholder engagement to reach a consensus required for successful guideline development.
Lagos to eliminate illegal abortions
Illegal abortions and high-risk pregnancies leading to unresolvable complications rank very high among the several factors that contribute to maternal mortality.
The Lagos State Ministry of Health is seeking different methods to eliminate illegal abortions and ensure that a mother does not die at childbirth, thereby disrupting an entire family unit.
In this regard, it became imperative to examine, in keeping with existing National and State laws and policies, if there are indeed justifications and medical reasons to offer abortion to a woman, whose life is threatened by a pregnancy.
Guideline had generated lots of public interest
The guideline was developed over four years, through painstaking work by experts in Law and in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, with a focus on creating the opportunity to reduce maternal mortality and, in line with existing laws.
These guidelines have generated immense public interest which has necessitated escalating it to Governor Sanwo-Olu, who has advised further sensitisation of the public and key stakeholders to ensure a clearer understanding of the objectives of the guidelines.
What you should know
- Recall that on June 29, the Lagos State Government presented and launched guidelines for the development of safe and lawful abortion services within the ambit of the state’s criminal law.
- The government said the the need was borne out of the desire for evidence-based data and information for health workers in public and private sectors.
- However, a few days ago, the Catholic Church in Nigeria (Lagos Archdiocese) rejected the new abortion guidelines in the state, describing the government’s claim that it consulted all stakeholders in the guidelines’ preparation process as untrue.
- The church said that it will not lend itself to any process aimed at terminating the life of a baby in the womb.
the Catholic church is always spot on. They know what they are doing. Please, listen to them. Every life matters.