Women protest against suspension of safe abortion guidlines in Lagos

Hundreds of women marched to the office of the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in Alausa, Ikeja, protesting the suspension of Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications.

The Executive Director of Women Advocates Research Documentation Centre, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, over the weekend led other protesting women groups and civil society organisations representatives.

The protesters gathered at Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, under the bridge, and from there marched to Alausa to urge Sanwo-Olu to lift the suspension on the Lagos State Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications.

Speaking at the Alausa Secretariat, Akiyode-Afolabi said steps have been charted and conditions given as to which safe termination of pregnancy can be done if the woman has a kidney problem, cancer disease and other health-threatening issues in order to avoid unsafe abortion.

Afolabi said the governor sometimes in June came back to suspend that guideline after it had been adopted while they are aware that the suspension was based on political reasons.

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She stated that women are dying in Lagos State, adding that women’s lives matter and that the Lagos State Government should not play politics with the life of women.

The women advocate noted that it is important that Lagos State Government takes steps to ensure that it secures the lives of women.

While explaining the rationale behind the protest, Dr Akiyode-Abiola said the suspension is not fair to women, and it is going to cause more death for women.

Afolabi further explained that the guidelines were supposed to be a decision a doctor can make, which is a standard medical procedure, adding that the doctor can decide to terminate the pregnancy in a safe environment and atmosphere.

She, therefore, gave a 10-day ultimatum to the Lagos State Government that they are going to gather to demand that women cannot continue to die needlessly in the state.