Abortions are more often self-induced by women with drugs and dangerous substances in Nigeria due to restrictive abortion laws.
Abortion
Politics and Society No support, No say: The hypocrisy of Anti-abortion Laws
Anti-abortion laws do not stop abortions from happening they decrease access to safe abortions. Does the pro-life agenda of ‘saving lives’ outrightly ignore preventable maternal deaths and morbidities? And does it saddle women with the brunt of a broken education and healthcare system?
Politics and Society US abortion law decision brings attention to rights of women in Africa
It is likely that countries may use the US abortion ban to further restrict abortion access for fear of losing health funding.
Politics and Society How US policy on abortion affects women in Africa
For countries that look to the US for guidance and for funding, the consequences will go beyond abortion.
Politics and Society Benin’s groundbreaking new abortion law will save the lives of many women
Benin’s new abortion law will take a woman’s educational, professional and material situation into consideration.
Lifestyle Abortion caregivers and companions: The age of the full spectrum doula is here
We have a secret in our culture, it’s not that birth is painful it is merely that women are strong. The belief that women are strong also applies even to abortion, and women who choose to have an abortion might just need a doula too just as other women who get emotional support from doulas during childbirth. An abortion doula provides emotional, physical, and informational support to people choosing to have an abortion.
Politics and Society Protests against Angola’s anti-abortion bill
Angolan demonstrators this week took to the streets in a protest in Luanda against a draft law criminalising all abortions. The bill is set to be voted on next week. Abortion also remains a criminal offence in numerous other African countries, and many women and girls die each year from unsafe abortions. An estimated 21.6 million women worldwide, 18.5 million of which are in developing countries, subject themselves to unsafe abortions each year. Stigma, and discrimination on the issue is pervasive and various rights groups continue to lead campaigns which seek to raise awareness and assert that every woman and girl has the inalienable right to make decisions regarding her body.
African identities Abortion is not going away, no matter how much you gag it
Around the world, abortions are happening by the millions. In some cases they happen safely; in some they are done with bleach and herbs. It is a contentious issue, with people falling hard into the pro-choice or pro-life camp. Fact is, abortion is not going away, and simply not speaking about it or not allowing it makes the problem far worse. This is not a debate about ‘loose women’ or ‘loose morals’ but about the best way to keep women alive and safe.
African identities On abortions: Empathy over judgement
Can you put yourself in the shoes of someone who has had an abortion? Would you understand the reasons that drove a woman to make such a decision? A group of young people from Kenya recently participated in an experiment designed to help answer those questions. The result? Turns out most of us can suspend judgment and be more empathetic on the subject of abortions when we understand that the women who have the procedure are flesh and blood human beings (just like us) wrestling with a hard decision that they will have to live with for the rest of their lives. Not convinced? Watch the video for yourself