RETHINKING ABORTION LAWS: NIGERIA AND INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

In the society today, so much value is ascribed to human life. This is so because life is generally regarded as a precious gift to humanity, which should be cherished and protected, as failure to cherish and protect life will bring about the inevitable extinction of the entire human race. Abortion is one of the numerous contemporary issues that undermine the sanctity and value of human life; for it involves terminating a pregnancy by removing a fetus or embryo before it can survive independent of the uterus, or killing the fetus inside the uterus. Diverse justifications have been advanced both in favour of and against the liberalization of abortion laws globally. Nigerian laws allow abortion only to preserve the life of the mother in the case of medical challenges; abortion done for any other contrary reason is proscribed and regarded as a crime. The main objective of this study is on rethinking abortion laws: Nigeria and international perspective. The study also carried out comparative analysis of abortion laws of some jurisdictions. In the course of carrying out this study, doctrinal research methodology is adopted and the study recommends among others that they should be an adoption of a liberal approach to abortion in Nigeria. This is because Nigerian women and girls do not seem to be deterred by the legal consequences of the "crime" of abortion. The aftermath, however, is that most of the abortions are carried out in medically unsafe environments, thereby endangering the lives of users. The study concludes that passing a liberalized legislation is only the beginning of the availability and safety of abortion. Anyone naive, vulnerable and poor can be affected by unwanted pregnancy. The promotion of access to safe and legal abortion will certainly save the lives of women and strengthen equality between women and men.