Samenvatting
Background: Unsafe abortion is one of the causes of maternal morbidity and mortality globally and it is still a burden in Nigeria. Restriction laws have been blamed for the recurrent vulnerability of women including female adolescents to unsafe abortions.
Methods: A cross-sectional, semi - structured, self-administered questionnaire was administered to 407 first year female undergraduates in the three female halls of residence of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in February 2012 to determine their attitudes to abortion laws and the social acceptance of abortion laws in Nigeria.
Results: A vast majority (96.1%) knew what an abortion was and barely half were aware of the grounds in which it may be legal. Only 84 (20.6%) of the respondents knew that there were 2 abortion laws in operation in Nigeria. One hundred and thirteen (27.8%) wanted the current abortion law to be reformed and thirteen (3.2%) admitted that they had had an abortion in the past. More than half of them, 212 (52.1%) would support an abortion if pregnancy followed rape/ incest and 201(49.4%) if there was fetal abnormality. Religious reasons influenced the social opinions on abortion laws in most of the students (73%).
Conclusion: The study showed some awareness towards abortion law reforms and we advocate that sexually active young individuals should be encouraged to adopt effective dual protection against unwanted pregnancy and STIs. Efforts should also be made at imparting reproductive health education to youths, especially girls.
Keywords: Abortion, law, reforms, legal, female, undergraduates.
Résumé
Contexte: L’avortement à risque est globalement l’une des causes de morbidité et de la mortalité maternelle et c’est encore une charge au Nigeria. Les lois de restriction ont été blâmées pour la vulnérabilité récurrente des femmes, y compris les adolescentes à des avortements à risque.
Méthodes: Une étude à dessein cross-section, semi - structuré, questionnaire auto-administré a été administré à 407 étudiantes en première année de cycle de licence dans les trois salles de résidence féminine de l’Université d’Ibadan, au Nigeria en Février 2012 pour déterminer leurs attitudes aux lois sur l’avortement et l’acceptation social des lois sur l’avortement au Nigeria.
Résultats: Une grande majorité (96,1%) savaient quoi un avortement était et à peine la moitié étaient au courant des motifs dans lesquels ceci peut être légal. Seulement 84 (20,6%) des répondants savaient qu’il y avait deux lois sur l’avortement en opération au Nigeria. Cent treize (27,8%) souhaitaient que la loi en cours sur l’avortement soit réformée et treize (3,2%) ont admis qu’ils avaient eu un avortement dans le passé. Plus de la moitié d’entre eux, 212 (52,1%) auraient supportées un avortement si la grossesse était à la suite d’un cas de viol ou d’inceste et 201 (49,4%) s’il y avait une anomalie fœtale. Les raisons religieuses ont influencé les opinions sociales des lois sur l’avortement chez la plupart des étudiantes (73%).
Conclusion: L’étude a montré une certaine conscience vers les réformes des lois sur l’avortement et nous soutenons que les jeunes personnes sexuellement actives devraient être encouragées à adopter une double protection efficace contre les grossesses non désirées et les IST. Des efforts devraient également être faits à dispenser l’éducation de santé reproductive aux jeunes, surtout les filles.
Mots-clés: avortement, loi, réformes, juridique, femmes, étudiantes en cycle de licence.
Correspondence: Dr. C.O. Aimakhu, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan,Nigeria. E-mail: chrisaimakhu@yahoo.com
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