The Ogun State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the Safe Termination of Pregnancy (SToP) guidelines to ensure access to safe and legal abortion services permitted under Nigerian law.

The Executive Secretary of the Ogun State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. Elijah Ogunsola, gave the assurance on Friday, stressing that the move was crucial to reducing maternal mortality and promoting rights-based reproductive healthcare in the state.

Ogunsola stated this at a seminar organised by the Ogun State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Centre for Bridging Health Gaps, in Abeokuta.

He said the renewed focus forms part of broader strategies to tackle the health and safety risks associated with unsafe abortion, especially among women in low- and middle-income communities.

“There is an urgent need to address unsafe abortion as a public health crisis,” Ogunsola said.

“Unsafe abortion remains one of the top five direct causes of maternal mortality in Nigeria, with an alarming 97 per cent of such cases occurring among women from low- and middle-income backgrounds.

These preventable deaths are often the result of limited access to accurate information, safe services, and the stigma surrounding reproductive health.”

The health board chief added that the state would continue to work with relevant stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, civil society groups, and legal experts, to strengthen the implementation of the SToP guidelines.

“The right to access safe abortion care within legal boundaries is supported by provisions in the 1999 Constitution. This reinforces the state’s responsibility to protect the health and rights of women and girls through lawful and medically safe reproductive health services,” he said.

In her remarks, the Executive Director of the Centre for Bridging Health Gaps, Dr. Moriam Jagun, described unsafe abortion as one of the most preventable causes of death, yet one that continues to claim lives across Nigeria and West Africa.

She said stigma and silence often undermine open discussions about abortion and urged collective action to safeguard women’s health, rights, and dignity through access to quality and legal reproductive care.

“Governments, policymakers, healthcare professionals, legal experts, faith leaders, and civil society must work together to improve access to evidence-based, life-saving care. Women should have the opportunity to make rights-based choices within the legal framework,” Jagun said.

Also speaking during a panel session on “Strengthening Abortion Services as Life-Saving Care,” the Director of the Citizens’ Rights Department, Mrs. Oluwakemi Lawal, clarified that Nigerian law permits abortion when a pregnancy endangers the life or physical health of the mother, including in cases of rape, incest, or cancer.

She stressed that only qualified medical professionals should carry out such procedures in safe and hygienic conditions.

A representative of the Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians of Nigeria (SOGON), Dr. Olusoji Jagun, said safe abortion upholds women’s rights to make informed decisions about their reproductive health without fear of stigma or prosecution.

He called for greater public awareness of the SToP guidelines and the need to expand access to safe, legal abortion services.

Abortion in Nigeria is legal only when performed to save a woman’s life. However, most procedures are carried out clandestinely and unsafely, making unsafe abortion one of the leading causes of maternal death, illness, and disability in the country.

Nigeria continues to rank among the countries with the highest maternal mortality ratios globally, with minimal progress recorded in recent years.