Women’s right to safe abortion – source: Development Communications Network Angela Onwuzoo lately, low uptake of family planning services, aided by economic hardship, is taking its toll on some married couples who, burdened by unplanned pregnancies, now resort to unsafe abortions despite the associated risks. Angela Onwuzoo reports. When Mrs Bisi Lateef (not her real name) discovered that she was pregnant, her once vibrant spirit became downcast and several thoughts of nursing a baby amid the biting economic hardship filled her thoughts.
Out of desperation to get out of her debacle, she borrowed the sum of N15,000 from a friend to procure an abortion in February, and it took her one month to finally pay it back. The woman, now in her early 40s, recalled what she experienced while ending her fifth pregnancy. According to her, she would have loved to keep it, but the resources to care for another baby were not available.
The trader, who already has four children, said she visited a quack to end the unplanned pregnancy without her husband’s knowledge. Defending her decision, she explained that it was made to avoid the stress of having another child, which would further put a strain on the family’s income amid the biting economic hardship. Bisi, who hawks soft drinks at Ikorodu garage, in Lagos State was not using any contraceptives and usually engages in unprotected sex with her husband who prefers the withdrawal method.
She told our correspondent that with the rising po.
