Abortion And Reproductive Rights In Nigeria – A Review Of Criminal Laws And Legislative Policies

Abstract

Abortion has been defined as the “deliberate destruction of an unborn child”, or it's “intentional expulsion or removal from the womb other than for the principal purpose of producing live birth or the removal of dead tissues”.1 It has also been described as the expulsion of the foetus from the uterus before it has reached the stage of viability.2 The termination of a pregnancy can be either spontaneous when a miscarriage occurs without a direct intervention, or induced when there is direct physical intervention to terminate the pregnancy. This article examines the legislative policies relating to abortion and reproductive rights, and proposes reformative measures in the Criminal and Penal Laws that would effectively control and regulate terminations in Nigeria.

Keywords: Legislation, Abortion, Reproductive rights, Criminal code, Penal Code, Nigeria.

Annals of Biomedical Science Vol. 2 (1) 2003: pp. 1-10