– Tamarauemi Ebimini
In a bid to guide healthcare providers in Lagos State to provide safe and lawful abortion services within the ambit of the law, the state government through the Ministry of Health has developed a policy document on safe termination of pregnancy.
The 40 page policy document, tagged “Lagos State Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications” sets out guidelines for safe termination of pregnancy within the ambit of the criminal law of Lagos State.
Presenting and launching the document at a stakeholders’ engagement, the permanent secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye noted that the production of the policy document was borne out of the need to provide evidence-based data and information for health workers in public and private sectors who have the requisite skills and training necessary to provide safe terminations to reduce preventable deaths.
Ogboye explained that while therapeutic termination of pregnancy is permissible under the law in Lagos State, absence of clear guidelines has stalled the effective implementation at appropriate levels of care resulting in preventable deaths.
