Unsafe abortion and its complications: A silent and unprecedented catastrophe happening in our society

Abstract

The term abortion often connotes criminal induced abortion in the context of our local setting. The socio-cultural and religious perceptions associated with having an abortion make the practice almost a taboo such that the procedure is often performed clandestinely with unimaginable and sometimes fatal consequences. The restrictive abortion laws in Nigeria, unmet needs for contraceptives, widening poverty and illiteracy, paved the way for unskilled personnel and quacks to dominate abortion services making the practice quite unsafe. In this editorial, we x-ray some reported abortion cases and how these challenges impact the health and reproductive careers of young women in Nigeria.