The Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) Africa has appealed to the Lagos State Government to lift the suspension on its guidelines for Safe Termination of Pregnancy (STOP), stressing that reinstating the policy is critical to reducing preventable maternal deaths. Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, WARDC’s Founding Director, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, said the suspension of the guidelines endangers the lives of women and girls by forcing many into unsafe procedures.
She explained that the STOP guidelines were designed to standardise medical practice and strengthen the capacity of healthcare providers to safely carry out pregnancy terminations within the existing legal framework in Lagos State. According to her, the suspension undermines the objective of saving lives, particularly for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence such as rape and incest, who require comprehensive medical care. She described access to safe termination of pregnancy for these victims as not just a medical service, but a means of preserving mental health, bodily autonomy and the right to a life of dignity.
Akiyode-Afolabi warned that the current impasse leaves women vulnerable to unsafe abortions, which remain a significant contributor to Nigeria’s high maternal mortality rate. She urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to immediately reinstate the guidelines to enable medical professionals to work confidently within the law and provide proper post-abortion care. She emphasised that the policy should prioritise women’s health and rights over political or religious sentiments, noting that safe termination of pregnancy is a public health imperative rather than a moral debate.
She commended states that have taken progressive steps to clarify and implement similar guidelines, pointing out that such measures are essential to protecting the reproductive rights of women and reducing preventable deaths. WARDC, she added, remains committed to partnering with the Lagos State Government and other stakeholders to uphold the health and human rights of women and girls across Nigeria.