Information reaching Icheoku has it that a Nigerian medical doctor based in Orile-Lagos, who performs about 70 abortions every day, has been arrested for allegedly selling the aborted fetuses to herbalist and medicine men who use them for rituals? Wonders shall never end in Lagos, Nigeria! In a country where only about 750,000 abortions are performed every year, this doctor really holds a record, having cornered a large percentage of the baby-killing market? 
A medical records book found on the hospital premises revealed that in addition to the over 70 abortions procured at the hospital daily, the doctor has no respect for holy days? The medical records dated from November 28, 2008 to January 14, 2009 showed that even on December 25, 2008, which was Jesus Christ's birthday (Christmas), the doctor performed abortions - recording his lowest daily output yet - just 11 abortions only? The records indicates that one month pregnancy costs about N1, 500 ($10) to abort, two months pregnancy N2,500 ($20), three months pregnancy N3,500 ($30) in that progression while special and delicate cases which are more than four months old cost in excess of about N5000 ($50). The record also showed that patients travel from as far as neighbouring countries of Benin Republic, Togo etc to seek this doctor's services; the doctor who is reputed to successfully abort pregnancies at any stage of its growth?
A medical records book found on the hospital premises revealed that in addition to the over 70 abortions procured at the hospital daily, the doctor has no respect for holy days? The medical records dated from November 28, 2008 to January 14, 2009 showed that even on December 25, 2008, which was Jesus Christ's birthday (Christmas), the doctor performed abortions - recording his lowest daily output yet - just 11 abortions only? The records indicates that one month pregnancy costs about N1, 500 ($10) to abort, two months pregnancy N2,500 ($20), three months pregnancy N3,500 ($30) in that progression while special and delicate cases which are more than four months old cost in excess of about N5000 ($50). The record also showed that patients travel from as far as neighbouring countries of Benin Republic, Togo etc to seek this doctor's services; the doctor who is reputed to successfully abort pregnancies at any stage of its growth? 
The doctor and his staff has since been taken to court on a three- count charge of attempts to procure abortion, conspiracy and supplying instruments to procure abortion. According to the police, they had to swing into action in order to stop "further waste of humanity in that place". Icheoku notes, abortion is illegal in Nigeria, except where the patient's life is in jeopardy?
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Christy 'Apena' Essien-Igbokwe , the wife of Jegede Shokoya of the New Masquerade and Nigeria's lady of songs is dead; she was 51years old. Although her family claimed that "brief Illness" killed her like so many Nigerians; Icheoku retorts that it was most likely AKwa Ibom voodoo and remote control that was used to arrest her. It is on record that she had fallen out with the governor of her native Akwa Ibiom State and have been having a relentless war for political turf with the governor? So who knows whether she was sacrificed to Ekpe cult or even Alusi-Okija as an offal; afterall African science is still very much alive and portent. May her soul rest in peace.
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Opting for an Abortion is a difficult decision. On occasions, it is a forced decision that you may have to make, considering social, familial or financial reasons. Yet, sometimes, it can be a painful one if your doctor suggests an Abortion citing reasons such as the health of your baby in the womb or your own present health condition. It is recommended that you talk to your partner, family as well as your doctor before you make your decision.
ReplyDeleteAbortion is a low-risk procedure. An early Abortion has lesser risk than a delayed one. Nevertheless, as with any surgery or medication, problems can arise.
Types of abortion
An Abortion is a procedure wherein the Fetus (unborn baby) is forced or pushed out of the Uterus. When this procedure is done to end a pregnancy, it is known as induced Abortion. Most abortions are usually performed in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. There are of course many ways in which an induced Abortion can be performed—some by surgery and others with medication. Various factors determine the type of abortion, such as your health, the length of your pregnancy, etc. However, it should be noted that delaying an Abortion or performing the procedure during the later stages of pregnancy can be complicated and unsafe.
Menstrual aspiration
This type of Abortion is done by inserting a syringe to remove the pregnancy from the lining of the Uterus. Doctors usually recommend this procedure between the first and third week after a missed period. Side effects of vaccines
Nausea
Vomiting
Fever
Chills
Abdominal pain and cramping
Diarrhea
Bleeding
Suction Curettage
In this procedure, a suction device is inserted into the Uterus to eliminate the pregnancy. Also called “vacuum curettage”, this procedure is the most commonly used method of Abortion and is usually performed until the 12th week of pregnancy. If it is done after the 12th week, then the procedure is called dilatation and evacuation (D&E). The procedure involves administering local Anesthesia around the Cervix so that the patient does not feel pain. Sometimes, certain medications or general Anesthesia may also be used to induce sleep while the procedure is being performed. The procedure will take longer if it is done after the 12th week or later during the pregnancy. If there are no associated complications, the patient is usually allowed to go home about an hour after the procedure. Women may experience soreness and cramps for a few days after the procedure. Vaginal bleeding can also occur and may last for up to 2 weeks.
Medical Abortion
Medical Abortion is a method where certain medications are taken to cause an Abortion. However, this method can be done only during the early phase of pregnancy, that is, between the 1st and the 9th week. This type of Abortion requires no surgery or Anesthesia. And remember, the drugs used in a medical Abortion will cause bleeding and cramping. They also may cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. Warning signs that may require the attention and care of your doctor are heavy bleeding, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, severe abdominal pain or high fever. If medical Abortion fails, surgical Abortion is the only other alternative.
Medical abortions are not recommended for women with certain health conditions such as uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension), heart diseases, severe anemia, liver, lung or kidney disease. Surgery then becomes a better option.
Abortion through labor
Medical Abortion is a method where certain medications are taken to cause an Abortion. However, this method can be done only during the early phase of pregnancy, that is, between the 1st and the 9th week. This type of Abortion requires no surgery or Anesthesia. And remember, the drugs used in a medical Abortion will cause bleeding and cramping. They also may cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. Warning signs that may require the attention and care of your doctor are heavy bleeding, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, severe abdominal pain or high fever. If medical Abortion fails, surgical Abortion is the only other alternative.
Risks involved in abortions
Failed abortions: On rare occasions, an Abortion procedure may fail to remove the pregnancy completely. If the Abortion is incomplete, the doctor may need to perform follow-up Curettage.
Infections: Sometimes abortions can result in vaginal bleeding and infection. Infections occur when bacteria from the Vagina or the Cervix enter the Uterus. These complications are usually anticipated and necessary medications are recommended to prevent infections or treat it if it occurs.
Surgical damage: Although rare, surgical abortions may sometimes tear or cause damage to the wall of the uterus, Cervix or Bladder. This may require further surgery to repair the damage. The risk of surgical damage increases with the length of the pregnancy.
Common myth
You may probably hear that women who undergo an Abortion have an increased risk of breast cancer. However, research and studies have not proven this. Developing breast cancer after an Abortion can be attributed to many other factors other than Abortion such as family history, lifestyle habits, other existing health conditions, age, number of pregnancies, etc.
Getting back to routine
A woman’s normal Menstrual cycle begins again around 4–6 weeks after an Abortion. Pregnancy can happen soon after abortion, so necessary protection needs to be taken to prevent pregnancy. Your doctor will help you choose the right birth control methods based on your health and lifestyle.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
ReplyDeleteAbortion Babies: Thoughts on Abortion
Abortion BabiesHOW CAN ONE PREVENT AN ABORTION
1) Abstinence
2) If abstinence is not practical, use safe birth control methods - Although there are many Christians who believe sex is only for the purpose of procreation, I believe sex can also be used as the deepest physical expression of love for your partner, even if your goal at the moment is not to have children. Therefore using safe birth control methods for this purpose would be one way in preventing one to consider having an abortion because of an unwanted pregnancy. And I also believe that there is nothing in Scripture that prohibits one from using such an approach.
3) Allowing pregnancies to come to term, and then putting the unwanted children up for adoption, if still unwanted. The following are thoughts on adoption:
1. Steven says: In the U. S. there are 5 requirements to be eligible for adoption. They are: 1) You must be over 18 years of age, 2) You must be a resident of your state for 5 years, 2) You must be able to provide financially for the child, 4) You must be able to provide a safe home for the child, and 5) You cannot have been convicted of a felony. Notice! It no longer matters if you're single, married, gay, over a certain age, or the same race as the child. However, there are unspoken prejudices that are practiced by social workers who do not agree with this criteria. The laws may say they cannot discriminate, but they find ways around it. Also there is much extortion by those responsible for placing children up for adoption. I've experienced this personally. I finally did find a place where I could adopt at reasonable cost and with a limited waiting period. It's called "Special Link" in South Carolina, and their mission is to finds homes for those kids who are hard to place. It took us just one month to adopt a child. What a blessing.
2. Janet says: There are plenty of couples who would love to adopt children but can't because there aren't enough, due to abortion. I've experience this with my teenage daughter who wanted to put her baby up for adoption and found so many applicants waiting to be considered by her, as she wanted to engage in this process personally. However, I do think that the adoption laws should be refined and more importance should be put on love available instead of money. Kids don't need their own room with a TV and VCR - they need parents to love and care for them. I think the foster parenting system should be revamped also and adoption laws changed to side with the child more than birth parents. Too many people have children and abuse them, but the gov't won't take them away from them permanently because they gave birth to them. Big deal! My opinion is that birth parents should be given a set amount of time to straighten out, or the children should be put up for adoption. I have seen so many kids moved from foster home to foster home because the birth mother is fighting off drug addiction, alcoholism, schizophrenia, etc. The mother never straightens out and the children never find a home and grow up as messed up as their mother.
3. Corbin says: I don't advocate abortion, but even with abortion, I still see many unwanted kids out there.
4. Janet says: Corbin, I think you really have to define what you mean by "unwanted". As I said before, there are children whose birth parents don't want them, but that doesn't mean no one wants them. Heck. If it were possible, I would take all of them.
5. Sylvia says: I think that if the laws and restrictions on adoptions were not so strict, then more people would adopt. The system is only hurting the children, not helping them. A couple has to wait a long time for the adoption to take place, resulting in babies of today becoming young kids.
6. Janet says. One of the problems in adopting is that the monetary restrictions are so tough that many loving people just can't afford to adopt any child.
7. James says: Only a small percentage of those applying to adopt actually are allowed to adopt. The social workers involved are really implying that about 75% of the population are not fit to be parents.
4) Be more loving with more open communication, and less condemnation by surrounding relationships.
5) Gender Equality - If women were granted equal opportunities in all areas of life, they would be thought of more as individuals rather than as sex objects, therefore reducing the possibilities of their having many unwanted pregnancies.
6) Mixed Nudity - If mixed nudity were less frowned upon, curiosity about the nakedness of the woman's body would be less of a reason for males to be sexually driven toward having sex with women that could produce many unwanted pregnancies. I know in my 3 year stint at a nudest camp I noticed that after a while I never viewed anybody as being naked; I just saw them as individuals
QUESTIONS RELATING TO THE REALITY OF ABORTION
1st Internet Question: SHOULD ABORTIONS BE PERMITTED A) TO SAVE THE LIFE OF THE MOTHER, B) RAPE, C) INCEST, D) DEFORMITY OF THE FETUS, E) ECONOMIC REASONS, F) EMOTIONAL INSTABILITY, G) AFTER HAVING AN IN-DEPTH COUNSELING SESSION OR SESSIONS, OR H) NO LIMITATIONS? CHOOSE ONE OR MORE OF THE ABOVE EXCEPTIONS TO NO ABORTIONS ALLOWED.
THE RESPONSES COME FROM 3 CHRISTIAN WEBSITES.
1) John says: I'm against all abortions, even to save the life of the mother because the unborn child still has no say in the decision, and the power of prayer is more decisive than a medical opinion.
2) Corbin says: I personally would only choose abortions after an in-depth counseling session or sessions to make sure that the parties involved fully understand that an abortion was not the only possible alternative for them. I'm generally not in favor of abortions, but as a paradox it seems that in leaving the option open for a woman to have an abortion, you will have fewer and safer abortions. This is because legal options give you the freedom to make a choice, and when you have this, you more often are more relaxed to make the right choice. Without legal choice, you more often become desparate and make the wrong choice. Also, as more and more unwanted babies (by their more immediate relationships) are being born, you're also paving the way for more potential future conflict being created by the unwanted, as well.
3) Jonathon says: I think Bill Clinton once said that abortion should be legal, safe, and rare, and it is the latter we need to work on - perhaps more concentration, not on trying to prevent women in choosing abortion as a legal option, but on the prevention of unwanted pregnancies.
4) Sarah says: Deciding who gets aborted and under what circumstances is playing God. I am one of those unwanted babies and so is my husband. How on earth could anyone have really known 3 decades ago that it would have been for the best to abort us. We have had AWESOME lives and contributed much to society. We are both highly educated, responsible individuals. We have both known from early childhood of our difficult beginnings, and been greatly loved by our adoptive parents. Yes, our moms had a rough 9 months carrying us and then I am sure, a difficult time in giving us up. But in exchange for those inconveniences, we have lead incredible lives.
5) James says: My cousin and his wife were expecting their second child, but tests revealed that the fetus had some severe deformities. Most of the brain never developed, the gastro-intestinal tract was external, rather than internal, and the spine was severly deformed. The doctors assured them that the child would never live more than a month, would never be sentient, and might actually experience some pain. Also, the cost to care for such a child for even a few days would be astronomical. But rather than abort, they decided to have the baby, and everything happened just as the doctors had said. The deformities were awful, and it was obvious the baby was in pain. It died in just about a month, and cost a bundle. It was a horrible series of events to witness. I can't even imagine what the parents might have felt. In that case, I honestly would have favored an abortion. That's why I remain pro-choice. Every situation is different, and ultimately, the choice is an individual one.
6) Jennifer says: I have walked into planned parenthood clinics to get birth control/pregnancies tests, etc, and it really bothered me when you see young girls in there bragging about this being their third abortion. It angers me because this is immoral.
7) Shirley says: I'm in favor of women being allowed to choose, though I'd prefer prevention where possible.
8) Jane says: I fully support an absolute ban on all abortions for any reason. I think if Christians put their faith and trust in God, there would be no need for abortions. If a woman does find herself impregnated for any reason, however, and her life is in danger as a result, she should still lay down her life for the unborn, if necessary. "Whoever will save her life, will lose it, and whoever will lose her life, will save it". A quote from Jesus Christ.
9) David says: There is no place for an abortion in this society.
10) Grace says: What about a case where the child is already dead in the womb, or a case where you have an esoteric pregnancy where there's no chance the child will survive a birth procedure, and in both cases, it could be life threatening to the mother?
11) Frank says: I am pro-choice, not pro-abortion. We want abortions to stop just as everyone else would. But I feel I don't have the right to tell anyone else what choice they should make.
12) Joan says: Frank, that argument doesn't go very far in life. You may not think we have a choice in telling people what to do, but take into consideration that we have laws and rules everywhere we go in life. If telling someone they can't murder someone else isn't a good stance to take, I don't know what is.
13) Frank says: You're right, Vicki, but the ultimate answer is to find ways to prevent people from ever getting into a situation where they would even consider the option of having an abortion.
14) Corbin says: Sometimes I feel Pro-Choicers are more concerned with the quality of life, whereas Pro-Lifers (so-called) are more concerned with the quantity of life.
A 2nd Internet question that I asked on the web sites was whether one should believe in bombing abortion clinics and/or killing abortion activists. Most suggested that two wrongs don't make a right, while one lone individual agreed with this supposition, and stated many believe in capital punishment for murderers.
3rd Internet Question: WHEN DOES LIFE BEGIN, AND WHAT IS LIFE?
1) Jim says: Life begins at conception. And that's a scientific fact.
2) Steven says: Of course, if one believes in reincarnation, than the ramifications of this question are fairly pointless. And what about belief in the immortal soul - if the soul is immortal, then this life is, again, fleeting.
3) Jonathon says: Oh WOW, you do go for the easy questions, don't you! I dont' think there is a straightforward answer to this. Life at conception is potential not actual, in the sense of being able to survive independently.
4) Sarah says: I believe life begins at conception. What animates living things. It is sustained by breathing. When a child is in the mother's womb, its life is sustained by the oxygen (obtained by her breathing) in her blood. When it is born it is sustained by its own breathing.
5) James says: On a personal level I have always considered it no earlier than that the fetus could survive outside the womb. Perhaps what worries me most about the idea of making a person a legal person is how it affects the rights of the mother as a human being. For instance , if the mother miscarries, and the fetus is legally a person, then won't every mother who miscarries have to be investigated and tried for reckless endangerment, manslaughter, or even murder. It's this nightmare that really worries me.
6) Andrew says: Someone once said "Life is nothing but a slither of light in between two immensities of darkness". But I believe that life really begins when we are able to live independently in God's creation.
7) James says: Life actually begins when God can see your substance. But life as known by the individual does not really begin until there is a consciousness of things around you and you truly begin to relate to living.
THERE'S ONE WEBSITE WHICH SUGGESTS THAT ABORTION IS NOT ANTI-BIBLICAL
The author suggests that Scripture should not be read out of context to prove a point, and that there is no place in the Bible that points to the fact that the fetus is a human being., only a potential human being.
1) Psalm 139:13-16 indicates that God is very much involved in our creation, but not that the fetus is actually a human being.
2) Jeremiah 1:4-10 indicates that God knew Jeremiah before he was even conceived suggesting that if you consider the fetus as a human being, it must have been a human being before conception.
3) Jeremiah 1:4-10, & Luke 1:39-41 indicates that these verses only relate to Jeremiah & John the Baptist.
4) Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 suggests it might be better to abort than to cause one to live a miserable life-
5) Numbers 3:15 A census was taken of those who were only over 1 month old indicating that fetuses were not considered human beings in Biblical times.
WITH THIS LATTER INFORMATION ON BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION, WHEN DO YOU THINK THE SOUL WOULD CONNECT WITH THE BODY? WOULD IT BE WHEN THE BODY RECEIVES A CONSCIENCE? IF THIS WERE TRUE, WOULD THIS ALTAR YOUR POSITION ON SOME ABORTIONS? WHAT DO YOU THINK?
The names of the commentarians, except for myself, have been changed to protect the privacy of the Internet contributors, but their comments are accurate.
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
I was born in New York City in 1931, grew up on Long Island, graduated from Roanoke College in Virginia with a BA in Political Science, from New York Theological Seminary with a Masters in Religious Education. I became a committed Christian in 1958, and after a number of years became a committed Ecumenical Christian. I worked as an accountant in various companies for about 25 years in New York City, then moved down to Argentina and worked for about 21 years as a Business Englishconverstionalist teacher with some of the top managers. I also became a Stephen Minister (trained counselor) while down here. I've been married twice (the last to an Argentine), widowed once, have no children, but one cat.If you want to contact me, you can via (corbinwr@yahoo.com).
Saving Nigerians from risky abortions
ReplyDeleteBy Andrew Walker BBC News website, Abuja
When she discovered she was pregnant, Faith stole a few thousand naira - about $40 - from her mother to pay for a secret abortion.
In Nigeria women can only get an abortion if their life is at risk
The 21-year-old wasn't ready to have a baby, she said.
She doesn't have enough money to look after a child as she earns only 300 naira per day, just over $2.5 (£1.30).
"They put iron inside me, it pains a lot," she said in a written answer to questions from the BBC.
"I was vomiting, and felt sad."
The "doctor" was not trained to perform abortions, and may not have been qualified at all.
Faith is fortunate to be alive.
Figures show that 10,000 women die every year in Nigeria from unsafe abortions, carried out by untrained people in unsanitary conditions.
That is 27 deaths every day.
According to the US-based Guttmacher Institute, that is one sixth of the total number of women who die worldwide from such procedures.
Traditional 'doctors'
In Nigeria abortion is illegal unless the life of the woman would be at risk if she were to give birth.
But the Guttmacher Institute estimates that more than 456,000 unsafe abortions are done in Nigeria every year.
These women are very young. They are often not married or still in school
Doctor who provides safe - but illegal - abortions
Some women go to traditional healers to terminate their pregnancies.
Methods include trying to break the amniotic sack inside the womb with a sharp stick. This causes infection and in extreme cases the tissue inside the body can start to die.
"They're pulling out intestines," says gynaecologist Dr Ejike Oji, of Ipas, an international organisation working to secure reproductive rights for women.
Another method is to pump a toxic mixture of fiercely hot Alligator chilli peppers and chemicals like alum into their bodies.
"The women go into toxic shock and die," Dr Oji said.
Taboo
Abortion is a taboo subject in Nigeria. The BBC couldn't find any woman who had an abortion willing to speak about it openly.
But 12 women responded to questionnaires about their experiences.
ABORTION IN NIGERIA
About 750,000 women have abortions every year
60% of those are "unsafe"
20% are done by a traditional healer or the woman herself
The average cost of an abortion is $15
The lowest reported cost was $4
20% of pregnancies in Nigeria are unplanned
50% of those end in abortion
Women in the mostly Christian south as likely to experience unwanted pregnancy as women in the Muslim north
Source: Guttmacher Institute
The women were contacted though a doctor who arranges abortions by trained doctors at a medical clinic in the capital Abuja.
"People know I am into women's issues," she says, "so when a woman comes to an organisation looking for help, they send them to me." The doctor did not want to be identified because she feared the authorities would prevent her from providing a service she says saves lives.
All but one of the 12 women are single, and all are below the age of 27. Two are still in secondary school.
All of them earn less than $60 (£30) a week.
Two women said they had abortions before, and two other women said their boyfriends refused to let them use contraception.
Most of them did not tell their partners or their families they were pregnant, and had to borrow money from friends to pay for the abortion.
At the doctor's clinic it costs $169 (£86) for the operation.
In unqualified hands, an abortion could cost as little as $4 (£2).
"It's expensive, but they realise its better than spending 500 naira and then having permanent medical problems or dying," says the doctor.
She gives the women a pill normally used for treating stomach ulcers.
This causes the womb to contract and start bleeding.
The doctor, with the approval of another consultant, can then go ahead and perform the abortion, because they can say it appeared the woman's life was at risk.
"These women are very young," says the doctor.
"They are often not married, sometimes still in school. There are serious social consequences if they were to have the child. They might not be able to afford to raise them."
Even if it was possible to get a legal abortion, many women would not be able to get a safe one
Dr Francis Ohanyido International Public Health Forum
Married women may seek abortions because they already have more children than they can afford.
Two attempts to change the law were stopped by conservative women's groups.
They say a change in the law would promote promiscuity, and weaken the moral fibre of Nigeria.
"Making more abortions available is not the answer," says Saudata Sani, a female member of the House of Representatives for Kaduna state, in northern Nigeria.
"Women need to be educated about their rights over their body and given opportunities to plan their families, but it must be done in a way that protects public morality."
Other medical specialists say that the law is just a part of the picture.
"Even if it was possible to get a legal abortion, many women would not be able to get a safe one," said Dr Francis Ohanyido, the president of the International Public Health Forum.
"Medical facilities vary widely and it is almost impossible to guarantee quality."
Cultural taboos mean even if there was a clinic in their town, it would be impossible for most women to go there, he said.
Among the 12 women the BBC questioned, five said they believed it would be wrong to make abortion more easily available.
Sharle, a 25-year-old university student, who had an abortion so she could continue her education, said she regretted what she did, saying it was against God's commandments.
Abortion Deaths in Nigeria Attributed to Archaic Methods
ReplyDeleteBy Ann M. Simmons
December 29, 1998 in print edition A-4
It was a decision that changed Auntie Vero’s life. Unmarried and pregnant as a young woman in the early 1970s, she sought an abortion. But the general practitioner had little experience in the procedure, and it went horribly wrong.
When she got home, she began to suffer excruciating abdominal pain and swelling. Later, she learned that she was bleeding internally. In a panic, she rushed back to the same doctor, a decision that proved nearly fatal.
Now 52, Auntie Vero, as she is affectionately called by friends and family, still vividly remembers the pain and how she struggled to free herself from the doctor’s grasp.
“I was shouting and screaming; it was so painful,” said Vero, an attractive woman with short-cropped white hair who requested that her full name not be used. “That was the work of the devil.”
The bloating and convulsions continued even after Vero, a onetime schoolteacher who had her first abortion four years earlier, left the doctor’s office, armed only with a couple of aspirin.
Later, her brother took her to a specialist. Surgery, followed by eight weeks in a hospital, revealed that her uterus had been perforated and that she would never again be able to conceive.
Still, Vero counts herself lucky. She survived. Today she is a fierce critic of abortion unless the mother’s life is in jeopardy and the procedure is performed by a trained specialist using modern equipment.
Although Vero’s ordeal happened more than two decades ago, medical researchers in this West African nation say abortions performed primarily by nonphysicians using harmful and archaic methods still are rampant and cost the lives of thousands of women per year.
Sex Education Not Widespread
Few women who have been through it are willing to talk openly. Abortion is a crime in Nigeria, except to save a woman’s life. Violators risk spending seven to 14 years in jail.
Contraceptives are not widely available in Nigeria, and sex education is not as widespread as some women’s rights activists would like.
A joint study by the New York-based Alan Guttmacher Institute and the Nigerian Campaign Against Unwanted Pregnancy, or CAUP, recently found that Nigerian women obtain about 610,000 abortions each year, a rate of 25 per 1,000 females ages 15 to 44.
Although the figure is moderate compared with some Eastern European and South American countries, it is much higher than in most of Western Europe and slightly above that of the U.S.
Most alarming, the researchers say, is that as many as 60% of abortions in Africa’s most populous country are performed or induced by nonphysicians, doctors with little or no training in the procedure, or by women themselves, often in unsanitary conditions and using dangerous instruments.
According to the study, abortion is the cause of 1,000 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in Nigeria. Local researchers believe that as many as 50% of the deaths of teenage girls are the result of unsafe abortions.
The problem is not unique to Nigeria, researchers say, noting that one in eight maternal deaths of women of childbearing age in West Africa are attributed to abortion.
Nigeria Has Ignored Seriousness of Problem
Medical specialists and women’s rights advocates hope the results of the study, due to be officially released in Nigeria in February, will prompt the new and more public-oriented military government of Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar to make abortion safer and less clandestine.
Past regimes have tried to downplay or simply ignore the seriousness of the problem. No current government official was readily available for comment.
“The findings will show that, irrespective of self-denial and righteousness, [abortion] is taking place,” said CAUP coordinator Dr. Boniface Oye-Adeniran. “The first step is to educate the policymakers that it is taking place, and that will force public debate.
“In any situation where you make things illegal, people are going to seek services underground,” Oye-Adeniran said, “and those who are going to provide services cheaply are the charlatans, the quacks; and those who are not qualified to perform the proceedings are the ones who are going to cause the most complications to the woman.”
Dr. Stanley Henshaw, deputy director of research at Guttmacher, which studies reproductive health and promotes policy analysis and public education, said greater awareness of the seriousness of the problem might encourage more qualified physicians to provide abortions.
Corruption and mismanagement by previous governments have led to high costs for treatment and shortages of everything from basic drugs to contraceptives in Nigeria. According to the study, only 6% of married women are said to use contraceptives. Across Africa, contraception is not widely practiced–either by men or women.
Researchers found that Nigerian women seek abortions to avoid premarital births, limit the number of their children to six or fewer and to space their children at healthy intervals.
Many consult nonphysicians because they are ignorant of the risks, unaware of the safest time to perform the operation or because qualified doctors are too expensive. Some women lie about their length of gestation because an earlier abortion is cheaper.
There is no system of health insurance in Nigeria. Cash on demand for treatment is typical. Since it is a crime to perform or seek an abortion, mainly because of religious, social and traditional beliefs, many women go for the most discreet and cheapest method.
“If public policy was more favorable to providing safer abortion to women, it would be possible to improve the training and skills of the physicians as well as the nonphysician providers,” said Henshaw, of Guttmacher.
Although otherwise liable for jail time, abortion providers are exempt from prosecution if they can prove that they performed the operation in “good faith” and with “reasonable skill” in order to save a woman’s life, local women’s rights activists said.
“It doesn’t say where; it could be on my dining room table,” said Ngozi Iwere, project manager of Community Life Project, a Lagos-based family planning center. “It’s little wonder women are being butchered everywhere.”
Some women’s rights activists and Nigerian medical researchers want their government to amend the law. Proposed reforms include allowing abortion in cases of rape or incest, providing 48 hours of compulsory counseling for abortion patients and designating approved clinics where trained doctors could safely perform the procedure.
Advocates also are pushing for improved sex education to increase awareness of family planning and to promote abstinence.
“Abortion on demand is not the issue here,” said Iwere. “But those who choose to do so should be able to do it safely.”
Financial Concerns, Shame Led to Abortions
Auntie Vero presumed the doctors who performed her abortions knew what they were doing. Her decision to terminate both pregnancies was driven by financial concerns and shame.
“I was a young girl,” Vero recalled, speaking from her home in the working-class Surulere neighborhood of Lagos. “There was a stigma of having a baby without being married. I was the senior daughter in the family. My parents were not working. In my sober moments, I decided not to continue [with the pregnancy], and to wait for the right person to come along.”
She married in 1977. But she neglected to tell her husband about her history, and her inability to bear a child soon led to marital problems. Nine years later, the couple split up.
“I’ve paid my price,” said Auntie Vero
Why Nigerian Adolescents Seek Abortion Rather than Contraception: Evidence from Focus-Group Discussions
ReplyDeleteBy Valentine O. Otoide, Frank Oronsaye and Friday E. Okonofua
Context:Nigerian adolescents generally have low levels of contraceptive use, but their reliance on unsafe abortion is high, and results in many abortion-related complications. To determine why, it is important to investigate adolescents' perceptions concerning the risks of contraceptive use versus those of induced abortion.
Methods: Data were collected through focus-group discussions held with adolescents of diverse educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. All were asked what they knew about abortion and contraception, and each method of contraception was discussed in detail. In particular, youths were asked about contraceptive availability, perceived advantages of method use, side effects and young people's reasons for using or not using contraceptives.
Results: Fear of future infertility was an overriding factor in adolescents' decisions to rely on induced abortion rather than contraception. Many focus-group participants perceived the adverse effects of modern contraceptives on fertility to be continuous and prolonged, while they saw abortion as an immediate solution to an unplanned pregnancy—and, therefore, one that would have a limited negative impact on future fertility. This appears to be the major reason why adolescents prefer to seek induced abortion rather than practice effective contraception.
Conclusions: The need to educate adolescents about the mechanism of action of contraceptive agents and about their side effects in relation to unsafe abortion is paramount if contraceptive use is to be improved among Nigerian adolescents.
International Family Planning Perspectives, 2001, 27(2):77-81
Over the last decades, several researchers have identified unsafe abortion as an important challenge associated with women's reproductive health in Nigeria. Induced abortion currently accounts for 20,000 of the estimated 50,000 maternal deaths that occur in Nigeria each year.1 It is thus the single largest contributor to maternal mortality. Numerous studies have documented the social, economic and health problems associated with early and unplanned pregnancies.2
The performance of an abortion is illegal under Nigerian criminal law, unless the woman's life is threatened by the pregnancy. As a result, induced abortions are usually obtained clandestinely, and are frequently unsafe. Unsafe abortion is often the end result of an unwanted pregnancy, which in turn is often the result of lack of contraceptive use. This trend is most profoundly demonstrated among adolescents. Hospital-based studies have shown that in Nigeria up to 80% of patients with abortion-related complications are adolescents.3 Similarly, a community-based study of abortion prevalence found that one-third of women who obtained an abortion were adolescents.4
In contrast, the utilization of modern and traditional methods of contraception has always been shown to be poor among Nigerian adolescents. The 1990 Demographic and Health Survey found that only 11% of sexually active women aged 15-19 ever used any modern contraceptive method. Such rates of contraceptive use are much lower than levels seen in similar age-groups in many Sub-Saharan African countries, or than levels in industrialized countries.5
The promotion of effective contraceptive use among Nigerian adolescents is a major challenge if their reproductive health is to be improved. Given that Nigerian youths are now marrying later, are increasingly interested in acquiring a formal education and are increasingly having premarital sex,6 it is clear that allowing the existing gap between contraceptive need and contraceptive utilization to be left unfilled will result in a dramatic rise in the prevalence of unsafe abortions. This will further compound overall levels of maternal mortality in Nigeria.
Other than identifying at-risk groups that are often unaware of contraception, an effective strategy for increasing the utilization of contraception must also include an understanding of patterns of contraceptive utilization and of societal views on risks associated with abortion. In particular, social and cultural barriers to contraceptive utilization among adolescents need to be analyzed.
This article reports on a qualitative study of the social perceptions of risks associated with abortion and contraception among adolescents in Benin City, Nigeria. Twenty focus-group discussions were undertaken to obtain an understanding of the reasons for the current discrepancy between levels of contraceptive use and abortion prevalence in Nigeria.
The focus-group discussion had two purposes: to explore local attitudes and beliefs concerning abortion, and to explore adolescents' attitudes and beliefs concerning the use of contraceptives. We believe that the findings may have profound implications for the formulation of policies for improving adolescents' utilization of contraception.
BACKGROUND
Benin City was the capital of the old Benin Empire, a kingdom whose borders extended as far as to the modern-day Dahomey, in the neighboring Republic of Benin. In keeping with the national trend, Benin City has experienced phenomenal growth in population: In the 1960 population census, the city's population was put at about 200,000; today, it is estimated to total more than one million residents.
This rapid population growth is the result of several factors, foremost being the population's high fertility rate, with an average of five or more children per household.7 The polygamous culture of the indigenous inhabitants (monogamy being the exception in most households) has also contributed to this trend. Moreover, the city's strategic location as a gateway to all major regions of Nigeria has contributed immensely to its rapidly growing migrant population.
Postindependence, Benin City was one of Nigeria's four regional capitals, bringing about rapid urbanization and the development of several educational institutions. Thus, Benin City has one of the three universities in Edo State, as well as several other secondary and postsecondary institutions funded by the public sector. More recently, as the demand for education far outstrips the public sector's capability of meeting it, the number of privately funded educational institutions in Benin City has risen steeply. Educational enrollment in the city is about the highest in the country, cutting across diverse socioeconomic divides, thus providing unique opportunities for cross-exchanges among those of widely differing backgrounds.
Despite the foregoing, the sexual and reproductive behavior of adolescents in Benin City does not appear to differ remarkably from reports of adolescents' sexual behavior in other areas of Nigeria. In general, this has been characterized by early initiation of sexual activity, nonuse of contraceptives at first sexual intercourse and poor overall utilization of contraceptives. In tandem with this is the high prevalence of reported experience of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and poor health-seeking behavior.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Focus-group participants were selected geographically from within Benin City on the basis of their current vocation or pursuit. We adopted this approach to accommodate the heterogeneous structure of the adolescent populace, so we could obtain a representative pattern of social interaction. To this end, we organized the focus groups by occupation and by participants' place of residence, thus encompassing a broad range of socioeconomic and educational strata. However, there was considerable overlap in demographic characteristics between groups.
To help generate relevant information, interviewers asked participants confidentially if they had had sexual activity prior to the focus-group session.* The investigators thus knew which focus-group participants reported being sexually active and which had not initiated sexual activity. The former tended to be older than the latter. This information was not disclosed to other focus-group participants, however.
The focus-group discussions were conducted by a team of researchers from the Women's Health and Action Research Centre, led by the first author. Twenty focus-group sessions were conducted with a total of 149 young women aged 15-24. The groups ranged in size from six to 10 participants per session (Table 1). Each discussion generally lasted between 45 and 90 minutes.
To elicit a comprehensive understanding of abortion among adolescents, we adopted an operational definition of abortion during the discussions as being termination of an existing pregnancy or the use of any medium to "bring back a missed period." Similarly, we defined contraception as anything used before or after intercourse with the aim of preventing a pregnancy. These wide-ranging definitions gave participants an opportunity to provide unbiased views of abortion and contraception.
Focus-group participants were generally allowed to express what they knew about abortion and contraception. Thereafter, a detailed discussion of each suggested method of contraception was elicited. This often concerned availability, perceived advantages, side effects and reasons for use or nonuse among adolescents. Questions on fertility control, regarding the use of abortion or contraception, were asked in the third person, to maintain discrete and confidential reporting by the adolescents.
The focus-group discussions were conducted in English or in pidgin English, a local corruption of the English language that is widely spoken and understood. (The language used depended on the group's educational status.) All interviews were audiotaped. In addition, extensive notes were taken during the discussions, and these were subsequently employed when the tapes were reviewed and transcribed.
Results
Knowledge of Abortion
In general, participants were forthcoming in their opinions about adolescents' beliefs on abortion and contraception. Sexually active female youths gave more lengthy responses and more detailed information than those who were not sexually active. More educated discussants tended to give more correct explanations.
There was often a diversity of opinion in the understanding of the term "abortion." While the majority defined abortion as the act or process of terminating an unwanted pregnancy, a minority felt that abortion referred to the termination of pregnancy after 3-4 months with the use of a "sharp metal instrument" or a "drip." Termination of pregnancy at less than 3-4 months was referred to as "D and C" with the use of "sucking" (suggestive of vacuum aspiration for termination of early pregnancy). For instance, a 19-year-old secondary student said that "D and C is when you miss your period for 1 to 2 months." Another focus-group participant (a 22-year-old tertiary student) interrupted a discussion of abortion to express her opinion that abortion meant termination of an advanced pregnancy, in contrast to a D and C: "Wait...you keep talking of D and C, it is abortion, when it is advanced, that is dangerous...." Menstrual regulation and early drug use were some other terms used to differentiate early recourse to pregnancy termination.
When asked how they recognized a pregnancy, youths most often mentioned a missed period or a failure to see the monthly menstrual flow. Few educated participants gave other means, such as early morning vomiting or recognition of body changes.
The major reasons given for why adolescents seek termination of pregnancy were (in order of frequency): the need not to interfere with schooling; not being old enough to get married; fear of family members knowing; not planning to marry the partner; being jilted by a fiancé; following rape or incest; and not knowing the actual father. Less-common reasons were the need to test fertility and, in some cases, as a means of making financial demands on male partners. This last reason was often mentioned by the less-educated participants, although it was also given by more-educated respondents.
Knowledge of Contraception
In general, participants were aware that something could be done to prevent a woman from getting pregnant. The responses on what could be done differed substantially among focus-group participants, however. Young people who reported that they had not initiated sexual activity often had little information on specific means of contraception. In contrast, the other participants were more knowledgeable about specific methods.
Participants mentioned a large variety of modern contraceptive methods—the pill, the IUD, injectables, the male condom and emergency contraception (the product Postinor). However, participants often did not mention the condom as a contraceptive method. When they were asked why, youths' major reason for this observation was that they thought of the condom more as a means of preventing infections than as a way of preventing a pregnancy.
However, when asked to name effective methods of modern contraception, participants often mentioned modern medications, such as APC (a brand of aspirin) and antibiotics, that are not contraceptives. Although the less-educated were more likely to mention ineffective contraceptives, similar patterns were also observed among those who were more educated. For example, a 17-year-old uneducated hairdresser said: "How woman fit prevent belle? Na many ways. She fit use quinine..." [How can a woman prevent getting pregnant? There are many ways. She can take quinine...]. Medications discussed included aspirin, quinine, paracetamol, tetracycline, indocid and ampicillin. They also mentioned menstrogen (a combination of ethinyl estradiol and ethisterone) and "apiol and steel" (parsley oil marketed for correction of female menstrual irregularity).
In general, other than for the condom, there was poor knowledge of the mechanism of action for modern methods, as well as poor knowledge of any noncontraceptive benefits. In contrast, participants often gave a list of adverse effects arising from the use of these methods. For example, reported problems associated with the pill included infertility, frequent periods and "frequent dosing." Participants argued that "the oral contraceptive pills entered into the blood stream and as such directly contaminated the blood, interfering with future fertility" (22-year-old food vendor). (Such views often were expressed even by educated participants.) The IUD was associated with being "missing" and possibly requiring an operation for removal or interfering with fertility. Focus-group participants associated injectables with abscess, paralysis and infertility, while condoms were seen as not being reliable.
Focus-group participants also mentioned a large variety of traditional contraceptive methods,† and were quick to give details of their uses and sources. Sexually active adolescents were particularly likely to give an in-depth list of traditional methods. This pattern was also common among the educated groups.
Participants often did not mention any adverse effects from natural methods (withdrawal and safe periods) or from traditional methods of contraception. They noted that these methods are used only at times when unprotected exposure occurs at the most fertile period or when periods are missed. However, focus-group members often disagreed on what period constituted the safe period. Often, only a minority of the educated participants provided correct responses.
Fertility Control
Focus-group participants identified several sources of contraception, most often the patent medicine store. According to a 17-year-old out-of-school youth, "If you go any chemist, just tell the person... them go give you something" [If you go to any patent medicine store, the attendant will readily provide contraception on request]. Likewise, a 16-year-old out-of-school youth commented "How person go dey go UBTH because of family planning, if you enter any chemist you will get family planning" [Why would someone go to a tertiary care center in the city because of contraception? If you enter any patent medicine store you will get contraceptives].
The use of patent medicine stores was seen as discrete and confidential. Youths generally agreed, though, that patent medicine dealers provide minimal or no information on the exact nature, known side effects or benefits of these methods.
Focus-group participants generally agreed that adolescents often try to prevent pregnancy. However, they disagreed greatly about what is generally done. The least common choice, especially among older and less-educated youths, was the use of an effective modern contraceptive method. Thus, a 17-year-old secondary student commented that "many of my friends try to prevent getting pregnant, they use safe period or sometimes they use gynaecosid [a hormonal preparation]." A 23-year-old tertiary student remarked that "many girls are doing something to prevent getting pregnant. They use safe period or sometimes drugs like ergometrin or ampicillin...."
The major reasons given were the known side effects of modern methods. For example, a 17-year-old secondary student said that "as for the pill, many girls don't like it; it makes them to put on weight." Side effects were of special concern to the focus-group participants when they were seen as potentially affecting future fertility. As a 20-year-old out-of-school youth recounted, "I know of one woman, she took pills when she was a young girl, when she got married and wanted a child she could not, they told her it is because of the pill."
A recurring theme in the discussions was the view that "women who use contraceptives will find it difficult to conceive when they eventually get married" (20-year-old youth club member). In contrast, side effects from abortion were thought to be few, with the possibility of damage to the womb and infertility being most frequently mentioned. Participants often perceived these risks as remote, however, especially when doctors perform the abortions. For example, according to a 23-year-old tertiary student, "many girls do D and C and don't have problems; these problems (complications of unsafe abortion) is when you go to quacks, they will use all kinds of things...."
When asked whether she knew of a friend who had died from abortion and if mortality from abortion is common in their community, a 20-year-old tertiary student responded: "No... well maybe it happens [a young person dying from an abortion], but who will tell you somebody died from abortion? If someone dies, they [the family] will say it is from a brief illness."
In addition, focus-group participants held the opinion that as abortion may be required only occasionally, it poses no real or immediate threat. This belief was reflected in the views of a 22-year-old undergraduate who drew a relationship between the use and ease of abortion and the continuous, daily use of oral contraceptives: "One D and C is safer than 16 packs of daily pills....many girls say this."
In general, participants believed that abortion-related deaths and other complications arose only when an abortion is performed late in the pregnancy or is done by a quack. Yet focus-group participants could reach no consensus on how a quack can be identified. The majority suggested that adolescents associate a competent provider of abortion services with any private clinic or a "male doctor," or a service that has been used successfully by a peer.
DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
We set out to provide a social explanation for the gap between adolescents' use of abortion in Nigeria and their contraceptive use. It is evident that in terms of sexual activity and contraceptive uptake, there are essentially two groups of adolescents.
Adolescents who are not sexually active tend to know less about contraception, although they are aware of abortion. Arguably, such youths are not likely to institute contraceptive use when they initiate sexual activity, so recourse to abortion may be their first attempt at controlling their fertility.
Youths who have initiated sexual activity, on the other hand, know about both contraception and abortion. Our findings suggest that low levels of contraceptive utilization among such young people arise from their perceived risk of side effects. In particular, they understand contraceptives (other than the condom) to mean something that interferes with fertility, while abortion has a similar, but more short-lived, effect. Fertility and infertility would appear to be central issues in youths' decision to use contraceptives or practice abortion. Thus, a plausible potential explanation for the low use of modern contraceptive methods among Nigerian adolescents is the perceived threat of sustained interference with fertility. Such a concern is in keeping with the fact that such modern methods as the pill, injectables and IUDs are used continuously over a lengthy period of time.
Nevertheless, if a threat to future fertility were an overriding concern in adolescent sexual behavior, the expected trend in the community would be a decreased prevalence of premarital sex, illegal abortions and teenage births. The fact that this is not the case suggests that a pregnancy may not be entirely unwanted. A conception proves a woman's fertility and is sometimes seen as a bargaining instrument through which to obtain favor from the male partner, and possibly also to demonstrate the capacity to have a child.
Our findings suggest that a plausible explanation for the prevalence of and resort to abortion among sexually active youths is that illegal abortion is not perceived as an immediate threat to fertility. Rather, the complications of abortion and their potential impact on fertility are seen as remote, occurring only when several steps have failed. This attitude may be strongly reinforced by peers who have had abortions without noticing any outward complications. However, since Nigerian law prohibits abortion, services are generally of poor quality. The absence of any outward complications in the vast majority of induced abortions does not necessarily imply that such procedures are safe. Several previous studies also have shown a high prevalence of a history of abortion and a strong association between such a history and infertility, as well as ectopic pregnancy.8
Consistent with earlier explanations, it would appear that traditional contraceptive methods should be more widely accepted in Nigeria, as they only need to be used when contraceptive failure is feared, for example, or when the monthly periods have not returned. Reliance on such methods tends to mirror that of abortion as a means of controlling fertility. This is consistent with results from the 1990 Demographic and Health Survey showing greater acceptance of traditional methods than of modern methods. Unfortunately, adolescents' lack of understanding of these traditional methods, as well as the types of methods mentioned, point to these methods' inefficacy in preventing unwanted pregnancies. In any case, young people tend to use these methods as early abortificients rather than as contraceptives.
In general, adolescents did not feel that having to obtain contraceptives was a major hindrance to use. This is contrary to findings from several published studies.9 Youths generally felt that the services offered by patent medicine dealers were sufficient to meet their contraceptive needs. As these dealers are located on street corners, such a finding is not a surprise, as they provide confidential services. This may also explain adolescents' knowledge and use of modern antibiotics and other medications as contraceptives, as these likely were recommended by and procured from patent medicine dealers. Previous studies have shown that patent medicine dealers often are not trained and have diverse educational backgrounds, with a significant number of them not literate.10
From our results, we can draw several conclusions regarding the design of a comprehensive policy on contraceptive marketing and distribution to adolescents. Crucial among these is the need for a comprehensive policy on adolescent reproductive health. Such a policy must clearly outline a strategy for educating both in-school and out-of-school adolescents about reproductive health before they initiate sexual activity. Information about and knowledge of contraception will be important in adolescents' acceptance of modern methods and their use of such methods at first intercourse. Such a policy must also fully address the social myths and perceptions limiting the use of modern methods, especially with regard to their effect on fertility.
Similarly, there is an urgent need for adequate documentation and understanding of the roles of informal contraceptive delivery points—in particular, patent medicine dealers. Such findings will be crucial towards determining training needs. These providers can act as an important link in providing in-school and out-of-school adolescents with appropriate information, counseling and mechanisms for contraceptive continuation.
Our findings further illustrate the need to review the existing abortion law. It is obvious that adolescents resort to abortion, and a large proportion will continue to do so. What is not obvious, however, is the quality of the services that are provided and who provides these services. Under present conditions, health care providers generally deny their involvement in or practice of illegal abortion. This may have contributed to the ambiguity reported among adolescents in accessing a competent abortion care provider. A revised abortion law would allow for proper documentation of trained abortion care providers and for information about them to be disseminated to the community. It would also allow for statutory regulation and for the monitoring of such services. These could go a long way toward reducing the needless morbidity and mortality arising from induced abortion.
In conclusion, an effective educational strategy on the process of fertility and contraception is needed for Nigerian adolescents. Such a comprehensive policy will be crucial in correcting misconceptions that limit the uptake of modern methods of contraception among adolescents.
70 abortion-a -day doctor arrested
ReplyDeleteFebruary 7th, 2009
Emma Nnadozie, Vanguard
A Lagos based medical doctor, (name withheld) got what he did not bargained for as a new year package when a team of detectives from Zone two command, Onikan, Lagos swooped on his hospital located at Orile, Lagos in the early hours of January 14, 2009.
The heavily armed policemen who cordoned off all entry and exit gates to the hospital succeeded in rounding up no fewer than 16 ladies at various stages of pregnancy waiting to procure abortion in the hospital. The ladies were aged between 16 and 37.
They also recovered assorted drugs and medical equipment including highly rated instruments used in procuring abortion at the hospital.
The most shocking aspect of police findings at the hospital was a medical record book containing details of abortion procured in the hospital since November 28th, 2008. From the records, the Police team were alarmed to discover that the medical doctor procures not less than 70 abortions daily.
The medical records dated from November 28, 2008 to January 14, 2009 showed that he not only procures abortion to more than 70 ladies of various ages daily but particularly, on December 25, 2008 which was Jesus birthday (Christmas), he procured what seems to be the lowest number of 11 abortions. Then on New year day, he heralded the year by procuring eight abortions.
The register also contains card numbers, names and amount paid by each of the pregnant ladies.
From the statistics available in the medical record book, ladies with one month pregnancy pay about N1, 500, two months, N2,500, three months, N3,500 in that progression while special and delicate cases which are more than four months pay from N5000 and above.
However, the record showed that a 16-year-old Togolese girl who claimed she was impregnated by a co-worker and did not want to keep it came all the way from Cotonou to the doctor to abort the pregnancy for N7000.
Police sources told Crime Guard that the detectives swooped on the hospital based on information earlier received about the doctor‘s criminal activities in the hospital situated at the densely populated Orile area of Lagos State.
It was gathered that the hospital is so notorious that pregnant ladies seeking abortion throng to their base, very close to Orile Police Station daily from not only every part of the country but neighboring countries like Cotonou, Togo etc.
Sources said the ladies arrested in the hospital confessed that they throng the hospital because the doctor is reputed to successfully abort pregnancies at any stage of growth.
Crime Guard gathered that three of the nurses who were arrested in the hospital and another middle-aged man who claims to be the Administrative Manager of the hospital confessed to the Police that the Medical director of the hospital is stupendously rich as a result of proceeds from procuring abortion and had always ‘settled security agents‘ with huge sums of money in order to divert their attention from his criminal activities.
Sources also said Police is still investigating what the doctor and his staff were doing with the remains of aborted pregnancies and the qualification of the doctor. Worse still, allegations of misuse of foetus for unknown purposes is still rife and detectives are said to be deep into investigations in this regard.
Crime Guard was intimated that after preliminary investigations, the visibly enraged Assistant-Inspector General of Police in-charge of Zone 11 comprising Lagos and Ogun States, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar directed that both the doctor, his nurses and the administrative manager be charged to court while the arrested ladies be further investigated.
The Police boss also reportedly ordered that the hospital which also serves as the residence of the doctor and his family should be placed under 24-hours surveillance with a view to ascertaining the extent of criminal activities going on there and checkmating the influx of pregnant ladies to the place for abortion.
Subsequently, it was learnt that both the doctor and his staff were charged to court on a three- count charge of attempts to procure abortion, conspiracy and supplying instruments to procure abortion. They were remanded at the Ikoyi prisons.
Crime Guard learnt that they are still in the prisons as they could not meet up with the stringent bail conditions given by the court. Meanwhile, it was gathered that Police authorities have written to the appropriate quarters on the need to seal up the hospital permanently pending when the case would have been finally rested in court.
When contacted, the AIG in-charge of zone 11, Mohammed Abubakar told Crime Guard, “We had to swing into action in order to stop further waste of humanity in that place. We have taken them to court and if we get more information, we will not hesitate in exposing anybody involved, no matter how highly or lowly placed”.
Man Performing Abortions Arrested
ReplyDeleteBadea Abu Al-Naja, Arab News
Saeed Ali and his aide at their apartment in Makkah after police took them into custody. (AN photo by Badea Abu Al-Naja)
MAKKAH, 22 May 2007 — Police arrested a Nigerian national who was performing illegal abortions from his home in the Al-Mansour district of Makkah. Following a tip-off, police began monitoring the man named Saeed Ali and were able to confirm their suspicions.
Col. Muhammad Al-Minshawi from the Makkah police sent an undercover officer, accompanied by a woman, to the man’s house. The officer told Ali that the woman was his girlfriend and that she wanted an abortion because she had become pregnant with him out of wedlock.
The police officer offered to pay a huge amount of money to carry out the operation. At that, the expatriate’s female assistant of the same nationality entered the room with tools to perform the operation.
Ali became suspicious of the couple after being offered a huge amount of money and tried to escape by making an excuse to go outside to bring something to help him complete the procedure. However, officers who were waiting outside arrested him.
The man and his assistant, together with other evidence gleaned from the house, were taken to the Al -Mansour police station for further investigations. Police said that the man would most probably be sent to jail and then deported.
Arab News met the 42-year-old Nigerian in the police cell. He said he has been doing abortions for over nine years in the Kingdom. “I charge Saudi women SR5,000 for every operation and non-Saudis SR2,000. Saudi women can afford to pay the amount but they rarely come to me,” he said.
“As for non-Saudis they are my best customers because they are involved in many illegal relationships,” he said, adding that he has managed to accumulate a huge amount of money while operating in the Kingdom.
Ali does not carry a medical certificate and said that he arrived in the Kingdom after someone told him in Nigeria that doing abortions in the country was a profitable business.
Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Makkah, said it is a major crime to abort a child after the fourth month of pregnancy unless there are specific medical reasons sanctioning it.
“A certified doctor is the one, who can determine whether an abortion operation should be performed or not based on clinical examinations. Such men, like the one who was arrested, should be punished severely and people should be warned about dealing with them. They should be reported to the police,” he said.
70 abortion-a -day doctor arrested
ReplyDeleteWritten by Emma Nnadozie
Saturday, 07 February 2009
New year shocker for a doctor that specialises in abortion in Lagos
•Aborts 70 pregnancies daily •How police invaded hospital•Arrest 16 pregnant ladies
A Lagos based medical doctor, (name withheld) got what he did not bargained for as a new year package when a team of detectives from Zone two command, Onikan, Lagos swooped on his hospital located at Orile, Lagos in the early hours of January 14, 2009.
The heavily armed policemen who cordoned off all entry and exit gates to the hospital succeeded in rounding up no fewer than 16 ladies at various stages of pregnancy waiting to procure abortion in the hospital. The ladies were aged between 16 and 37.
They also recovered assorted drugs and medical equipment including highly rated instruments used in procuring abortion at the hospital.
The most shocking aspect of police findings at the hospital was a medical record book containing details of abortion procured in the hospital since November 28th, 2008. From the records, the Police team were alarmed to discover that the medical doctor procures not less than 70 abortions daily.
The medical records dated from November 28, 2008 to January 14, 2009 showed that he not only procures abortion to more than 70 ladies of various ages daily but particularly, on December 25, 2008 which was Jesus birthday (Christmas), he procured what seems to be the lowest number of 11 abortions. Then on New year day, he heralded the year by procuring eight abortions.
The register also contains card numbers, names and amount paid by each of the pregnant ladies.
From the statistics available in the medical record book, ladies with one month pregnancy pay about N1, 500, two months, N2,500, three months, N3,500 in that progression while special and delicate cases which are more than four months pay from N5000 and above.
However, the record showed that a 16-year-old Togolese girl who claimed she was impregnated by a co-worker and did not want to keep it came all the way from Cotonou to the doctor to abort the pregnancy for N7000.
Police sources told Crime Guard that the detectives swooped on the hospital based on information earlier received about the doctor‘s criminal activities in the hospital situated at the densely populated Orile area of Lagos State.
It was gathered that the hospital is so notorious that pregnant ladies seeking abortion throng to their base, very close to Orile Police Station daily from not only every part of the country but neighboring countries like Cotonou, Togo etc.
Sources said the ladies arrested in the hospital confessed that they throng the hospital because the doctor is reputed to successfully abort pregnancies at any stage of growth.
Crime Guard gathered that three of the nurses who were arrested in the hospital and another middle-aged man who claims to be the Administrative Manager of the hospital confessed to the Police that the Medical director of the hospital is stupendously rich as a result of proceeds from procuring abortion and had always ‘settled security agents‘ with huge sums of money in order to divert their attention from his criminal activities.
Sources also said Police is still investigating what the doctor and his staff were doing with the remains of aborted pregnancies and the qualification of the doctor. Worse still, allegations of misuse of foetus for unknown purposes is still rife and detectives are said to be deep into investigations in this regard.
Crime Guard was intimated that after preliminary investigations, the visibly enraged Assistant-Inspector General of Police in-charge of Zone 11 comprising Lagos and Ogun States, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar directed that both the doctor, his nurses and the administrative manager be charged to court while the arrested ladies be further investigated.
The Police boss also reportedly ordered that the hospital which also serves as the residence of the doctor and his family should be placed under 24-hours surveillance with a view to ascertaining the extent of criminal activities going on there and checkmating the influx of pregnant ladies to the place for abortion.
Subsequently, it was learnt that both the doctor and his staff were charged to court on a three- count charge of attempts to procure abortion, conspiracy and supplying instruments to procure abortion. They were remanded at the Ikoyi prisons.
Crime Guard learnt that they are still in the prisons as they could not meet up with the stringent bail conditions given by the court. Meanwhile, it was gathered that Police authorities have written to the appropriate quarters on the need to seal up the hospital permanently pending when the case would have been finally rested in court.
When contacted, the AIG in-charge of zone 11, Mohammed Abubakar told Crime Guard, “We had to swing into action in order to stop further waste of humanity in that place. We have taken them to court and if we get more information, we will not hesitate in exposing anybody involved, no matter how highly or lowly placed
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