Don Seeks Review Of Nigeria’s Abortion Laws
A Professor of Fetal Medicine at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Prof. Olufemi Oloyede, has called for a review of Nigeria’s abortion law to take into consideration the rights and interests of unborn children.
Oloyede made the call on Tuesday while speaking with journalists after delivering the university’s 130th inaugural lecture, titled “To Live or Not To Live: Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Fetal Medicine.”
The don said the country’s abortion laws had historically focused on the interests of mothers, arguing that the condition of the fetus should also be considered when decisions about pregnancy termination were made.
He said, “Before now, abortion law says you cannot commit abortion. It is criminal; you have various sentences. The abortion law says you can only do that in the interest of the mother, never in the interest of the fetus.
“I am now telling the government and those who care about the abortion law that we must begin to factor in the interest of the fetus. The fetus never begged to come, and if the fetus is going to be challenged by something, we should give them that opportunity or right to exit painlessly.”
Oloyede said fetuses diagnosed with severe abnormalities or conditions that could subject them to lifelong suffering should be considered under a reformed abortion law.
He added, “Malformed fetuses should be allowed to be terminated. Fetuses that will become a burden to themselves should be included in the abortion laws.”
The professor also identified Down syndrome as one of the conditions that should be considered in discussions about fetal rights and abortion.
“Even some things like Down syndrome that are there, but they have a lot of challenges that society cannot take care of them—they are on the streets—should we not allow them to be terminated if the mothers or the condition they are experiencing is so bad?” he asked.
Oloyede, however, acknowledged that the proposal was controversial, particularly when applied to sickle cell disease.
He explained that many people opposed such considerations because of religious and personal beliefs. Still, he argued that the realities faced by people living with sickle cell disease should not be ignored.
“Because of religious, personal bias, we say sentiments—we say, ‘Leave them, God is in control.’ But I tell you, no. Especially because society does not have what it takes to take care of them,” he said.
According to the don, children born with severe sickle cell disease may experience excruciating pain, recurrent blood transfusions, and prolonged absence from school. At the same time, some may die at a young age.
He said, “Until society gets to that level where they can take care of sickle cell babies, until they are ready to assume that responsibility, if they are not, they should not allow these babies to be delivered, keep suffering excruciating pains, recurrent transfusions, absences from school, and all the rest.”
Oloyede stressed that his position should not be interpreted as a call to abandon public awareness and prevention efforts on sickle cell disease.
He said, “Let me also quickly mention that this does not stop us from continuing our awareness strategy. We must continue vigorously.”
The don added that where adequate medical and social support was available for affected children, the situation could be different.
“But where a baby or a child can have access to these things, it’s okay; they can still live. But where they don’t, which is the situation for the majority of affected babies, they should consider it,” he said.
As part of the requirement for the reform requirements, Oloyede called for the creation of a Multi-Disciplinary Bioethics Committee comprising fetomaternal medicine experts, perinatologists, legal experts, medical sociologists, and chaplains to authenticate indications before termination of pregnancy and support families navigating complex prenatal diagnoses.
He stated that “This step would checkmate those who may want to take advantage of the liberalisation of the law”.
Speaking on the broader message of his inaugural lecture, Oloyede said every pregnancy involved complex developments in the womb that could sometimes raise difficult ethical questions about whether a pregnancy should continue.
He said, “For every child that is delivered, there have been serious issues going on within the womb. The child has been undergoing a lot of things that are unknown to the whole world.
“And some of these things, as they are going on, are such that we need to always ask ourselves and decide: Should this pregnancy continue? Should the child live or should the child not live?”
The fetal medicine specialist also warned pregnant women against exposing themselves and their unborn babies to substances that could cause congenital abnormalities.
He identified the use of unprescribed medication, radiation and infections among factors that could expose fetuses to malformations.
He advised expectant mothers to avoid taking drugs without medical advice and to take precautions against potentially harmful exposures during pregnancy.
Oloyede said Nigeria needed to strengthen its legal and healthcare systems to address the ethical challenges surrounding fetal medicine.
He urged the government, medical professionals and other stakeholders to engage in critical discussions on fetal rights and the review of the country’s abortion laws.
