Stakeholders at the public hearing on the proposed Ogun State Safe Termination of Pregnancy Law, 2026, have commended the State House of Assembly for initiating the bill, describing it as a well-conceived legislation.
According to them, it is aimed at reducing maternal mortality, protecting healthcare professionals and providing a clear legal framework for safe pregnancy management in the state.
The stakeholders included a former Chairman of the State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Dr Azeem Ashimi, the representative of the State chapter of National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Nurse Bello Adejoke, the Onitafin of Otafin, Oba Morufu Adebayo among others.
At the event on Thursday, they raised the need to address the legal ambiguity surrounding safe termination of pregnancy, noting that such ambiguity in the legal provisions often resulted in dangerous delays in patient care, calling for adequate indemnity for qualified medical practitioners to prevent unjust penalties.
They also advocated for machineries to be put in place to prevent the victims of rape and incest from patronizing quacks, by ensuring that only licensed professionals provide such medical services.
In her remarks, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, said the proposed legislation would establish a framework around safeguarding the lives and health of women; while also safeguarding health practitioners offering the services.
Coker added that the bill would help reduce maternal mortality and provide access to mental health services for women and girls experiencing emotional trauma arising from unwanted pregnancy.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman, House Committee on Health, Wahab Haruna, explained that the bill was conceived because “too many of our mothers, sisters and daughters lose their lives or suffer serious harm from complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth, many of which are preventable.”
He urged the stakeholders to make meaningful contributions to the bill, assuring that their inputs would be given the necessary legislative consideration in the process leading to the passage of the bill.
Earlier, while declaring the stakeholders’ forum open, the Speaker, Oludaisi Elemide, said the proposed legislation was designed to provide “a legal and institutional framework for the safe termination of pregnancy under the defined circumstances.”
He noted that the Assembly considered the increasing incidence of unregulated abortions and considered the resultant deaths of adolescents and women as unacceptable.
The Speaker added that the bill would ensure the provision of a legal framework that would not only safeguard the livelihoods of genuine medical practitioners but also deter criminal elements who exploited the absence of rules and regulations to perpetrate evils in the society.
According to him, “the legislation seeks to entrench safe motherhood, reduce maternal morbidity and mortality and establish the conditions for the safe termination of pregnancy,” while assuring the participants that every submission made would be meticulously considered in ensuring that the bill takes care of the stakeholders’ interest.
He expressed confidence that the engagement would produce a comprehensive legislation that would strengthen safe pregnancy management in the state.
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