Unsafe abortion still fuelling maternal deaths in Nigeria, WARDC warns
The Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) has warned that unsafe abortion remains a major contributor to maternal deaths in Nigeria, calling for urgent reforms of the country’s restrictive abortion laws.
WARDC made the call in a statement signed by its Executive Chairperson, Prof. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, to commemorate the 2026 International Safe Abortion Day.
The international day has its theme “Solidarity in Action: Advance Reproductive Justice and Urgently Strengthen Health Systems for Comprehensive Abortion Care,”
The organisation said Nigeria could not effectively reduce maternal mortality while unsafe abortion remained a preventable cause of death and serious injury.
According to WARDC, this year’s campaign theme offers an opportunity for Nigeria to confront the human cost of unsafe abortion and strengthen its health system to protect women and girls.
The organisation noted the prevalence of maternal mortality burden in Nigeria, with an estimated 1,000 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, adding that unsafe abortion was recognised among the causes of maternal deaths in the country.
It cited a nationally representative study estimating that 1.25 million abortions occurred in Nigeria in 2012, with about 212,000 women treated for complications arising from unsafe abortion.
It added that another 285,000 suffered serious complications without receiving the treatment they required.
WARDC also referred to a widely cited national estimate indicating that about 6,000 women die annually from unsafe abortion, while noting that the figure was an estimate and abortion-related deaths might be underreported or misclassified.
”Behind these numbers are women and girls whose lives, health and futures can be permanently affected,” the organisation stated.
It further expressed concern over the burden on adolescents, citing UNICEF data showing Nigeria’s adolescent birth rate at 75 births per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19, with adolescent pregnancy significantly higher in rural communities.
According to WARDC, denying timely, appropriate and lawful reproductive healthcare to girls who become pregnant as a result of rape or incest compounds their trauma.
”A child who has survived sexual violence should receive protection, healthcare and dignity—not additional trauma, stigma and the risk of an unsafe abortion,” it said.
The organisation called for Nigeria’s laws to move from an approach centred primarily on criminalisation to a clear, rights-based and medically regulated framework for safe abortion care.
It said such reforms should define when abortion is lawful, protect confidentiality and informed consent, regulate qualified providers and facilities, strengthen referral systems and ensure access to quality post-abortion care, while protecting women and girls from unsafe practices, coercion and discrimination.
WARDC urged the Federal Government, National Assembly, state governments and other stakeholders to prioritise legal and policy reforms, investment in the health system and accurate public information on abortion and reproductive health.
It stressed that no woman should lose her life because she could not access safe healthcare, adding that Nigeria could not reduce maternal mortality while ignoring unsafe abortion.
”It is time to move from criminalisation to safe, regulated and rights-based abortion care,” the organisation said.