The Ogun state government has reiterated its commitment to strengthen collaboration with other stakeholders towards implementing the abridged guidelines for Safe Termination of Pregnancy (SToP)
The Executive Secretary, Primary Healthcare Development Board, Dr Elijah Ogunsola reiterated this commitment while speaking in Abeokuta during engagement with Centre for Bridging Health Gaps on the dissemination of the abridged guidelines for safe termination of pregnancy.
Dr Ogunsola, in a statement on Thursday said that "the dissemination of the SToP policy is to further strengthened the commitment of the Gov Dapo Abiodun-led administration to ensure the right to health of women and this will also guarantee the coming generation of women the right to live meaningful reproductive life"
He disclosed that "there is an existing national guideline for safe termination of pregnancies for legal indication which the state has adapted.
"This policy will help to control and regulate preventable deaths of women who lose their lives as a result of conditions that risks continuation of their pregnancy"
Ogunsola stressed that "the state does not legalise abortion, but it is giving standardised medical service for women that find themselves in certain situations such as rape, incest, cancer, and hypertension among others, noting that there are legal situations where a pregnancy cannot continue, hence the need to make sure the women have access to medical care"
Also speaking at the programme, the Executive Director, Center for Bridging Health Gaps, Dr Moriam Jagun, expressed appreciation to the state government for the opportunity to support such a critical initiative.
Dr Jagun reaffirmed CBHGaps’ commitment to partnering with the state to reduce maternal mortality and improve reproductive health outcomes.
She described unsafe termination of pregnancy as one of the most preventable causes of death, yet one that continued to endanger the lives and futures of vulnerable women and girls.
Dr Jagun notined that across Nigeria and West Africa, discussions around unsafe pregnancy termination were often hindered by stigma and silence, thus reaffirming the need for a collective commitment to safeguard women's health, rights and dignity through access to safe, legal and quality services.
She acknowledged the contributions of partner civil society organizations and the technical team that reviewed and updated the STOP guidelines, saying that it was in line with the criminal code and aligned with the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act VAPP, including indications related to rape, incest, sexual assault, and considerations for the mental health of the woman.
In their contributions, the Director Citizens Right, Mrs Oluwakemi Lawal and former NMA chairman in the state, Dr Kunle Ashimi stated that cases where pregnancy termination could be legally performed included pregnancy that posed a danger to the mother's life or physical health such as rape, incest, cancer among others.
They disclosed that the termination should however be performed by qualified health professionals in a safe and hygienic condition, as it upholds women's rights to make informed decisions about their reproductive health without fear of repercussions or social stigma.
They noted that the government should increase awareness of the SToP guidelines and its importance.
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