Abstract
Although abortion laws have been liberalized in many countries, a restrictive abortion law still exists in Nigeria as well as in other countries in the Sub-Saharan region. In contemporary Nigeria the alarming increase in unwanted and unplanned pregnancy is of obvious concern to parents, policy makers, and government. However, there is an obvious reluctance on the part of government to initiate a liberal abortion law because of profound resentment from elders, religious leaders, and communities who have a strong pronatalist tradition. Despite these views and restrictive laws, illegal abortion is performed daily by skilled and unskilled persons who employ aseptic techniques and unorthodox methods with consequent high mortality and morbidity. While it is difficult to obtain national data on illegal abortion, hospital records on emergency admissions indicate that complications of abortion account for over 50 percent of the cases.
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© 1986 Plenum Press, New York
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Ladipo, O.A. (1986). Illegal Abortion and Effect on Medical Practice and Public Health—Nigeria. In: Landy, U., Ratnam, S.S. (eds) Prevention and Treatment of Contraceptive Failure. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5248-8_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5248-8_9
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