By Oreva Godwin
This is one controversial topic, and you, my dearest readers, already know how controversial I can be. I’m a born-again Christian and yet a realist. I don’t let my religious beliefs kill my reality. And I can never force my religious belief on someone or on the law. Sometimes, we need to look at things, not just from the religious angle but also from the human perspective.
So let’s keep an open mind as we talk about this topic, without being judgemental or throwing stones. It’s an old-time practice that can never end. Am I here to encourage it? Not really. Trying to judge? Hell no. Who made me a judge?. I’m just a realist who sees things differently and loves putting myself in people’s shoes.
Imagine a life with no religion? Where people are governored by morality. Socrates’ philosophy on morality states that “morality is rooted in knowledge and virtue”, arguing that “true knowledge of good and evil leads to virtuous actions”, and that “ignorance is the root of wrongdoing”, as “no one knowingly chooses evil.”
Abortion is legal in many developed countries. Americans are still advocating for it to be legalized. But here in Nigeria, everybody is just silent about it. No one is bold enough to come out to fight for it to be legal. Yet in Nigeria, women undergo abortion every day.
Research shows that abortion rates around the world are 44% higher among married women than among single ladies. This is according to the global sexual reproductive advocacy organisation.
Research also shows that about 90% of the termination of pregnancies are performed in developing countries like Nigeria and South Africa.
Yet abortion is not legal. Does the government think that because it’s not legal, people would not indulge in the act? By making it legal, people will perform it in a safer way with no risk of life or damage to their wombs.
Abortion is safe. Unless there’s a rare and serious complication that’s not treated. There’s no risk to your overall health or your ability to have healthy pregnancies in the future if procured legally. Having an abortion doesn’t increase your risk for cancer, and it doesn’t cause depression or mental health issues.
A lot of married women have done family planning that has failed and resulted in pregnancy. In this hard economy, bringing up baby number 5 to the world is not easy, when you can barely take care of the 4 kids you already have. Or you’ve already been warned that the next pregnancy might take your life, only for the family planning to fail. Are you to risk your life because of your religious beliefs?
Oluchi was a bright and beautiful young lady in her year 4 in the university, studying medicine. She was the brightest in her class but very religious. She had a promising future and goals. Unfortunately, she had a good time with her boyfriend. She got birth control pills. Unknown to her, it was a fake postinor 2. She took it and felt safe. A month later she realised that she was pregnant. Her religious belief wouldn’t let her abort the pregnancy.
She told her family and her father cut her off. That made her drop out of school. She couldn’t pay for her apartment any longer, and had to stay in an uncompleted building. Her supposed baby father denied the pregnancy because he was a final year student and could never risk his future.
Oluchi struggled to survive, washed plates at restaurants, just to have food as payment. Life was a living hell for her, humping from one uncompleted building to the other. After giving birth to a baby girl, she struggled to learn a skill and started life afresh. Seven years after sacrificing her all for the child, life looked as if it would normalise. Her child was involved in a hit and run, and she lost her daughter.
She was traumatised and cried out . She cursed the day she found out she was pregnant and cursed the day she rebuffed the idea of not committing an abortion. She lost her family, education, and career, all for nothing. She would have been a medical doctor. She would have had a bright future, doing what she loved doing best. Now, the passion for medicine is gone. She is now a shadow of herself. It’s rather sad, but that’s the reality of some people.
Helen was on her way to church when she encountered the scare of every girl child. She was raped by Mike. Mike was an acquaintance who stayed in her neighbourhood. She got a birth control pill. She was too emotional to read through it. It was an expired pill. She took it and went to the hospital a few hours later for treatment.
She later took the police to Mike’s home, but he was nowhere to be found. A month later, she found out that she was pregnant. She was in disbelief. But she felt it was wrong to kill. It’s wrong. So, she kept the baby and gave birth to a son. Unfortunately, the boy is a replica of Mike. She hated her son for that. Because he constantly reminded her of Mike and the horrible thing he did to her. She resented the child so much that she sent him to her mom in the village. She only sent money and does not visit.
Helen’s mom later died ten years after. She had no choice but to bring the child to stay with her. She became so distant from the child. Never showed him love. Each time she saw the child, it triggered her past, which kept hunting her. An innocent child, paying for the sin of his father.
They say children are a blessing from God. So, who are these children causing people pains? Are they from God or from the devil? Some pains could have been avoided.
Anita had five kids and struggled to feed them. She lived a poor life but hopeful that things would be better. She fixed the coil for family planning. But fate would teach her that some sperms don’t respect family planning. She soon realised that she was pregnant. “How is this possible?” she soloquised. She was in a dilemma.
Friends encouraged her and said; “some children come at difficult times to be used by God to change ones story in the future.” Anita, an atheist who lived by morals, felt abortion was inhuman. So she kept the baby. But because she couldn’t afford a good medical facility, not to talk of running a scan, she found out too late that it was a costly decision she took.
Anita gave birth to triplets. Making 8 children. She almost ran mad. The poverty was too much, and her husband woke up one morning and abandoned them. She was all alone with the kids. She soon developed a high BP, no money for drugs. She depended on herbs. One morning, as she was hawking on the road, she slumped, and that was the end of Anita.
Now, who did she leave the 8kids for? For the government? What would be the fate of the innocent children? All because abortion was not procured when it was necessary.
These are the issues. Some people are happy they took the wise decision not to commit an abortion, while some people are in regrets. Some people regret not aborting at the afterlife.
What are the factors of poverty in a nation?
High population is one of the factors. Nigeria is overly populated, and the government needs to manage the population of the country in order to reduce the poverty rate. It should be managed.
People are losing their lives and chances of getting pregnant in the future by performing illegal abortion by uncertified nurses and pharmacists that could have been avoided if only the government made abortion legal. But the death rate and damage after abortion are not stopping most women. Every day, more than hundreds of abortions are performed in Nigeria.
The government needs to make it legal. It’s the body of the women that’s involved, and it should be their choice to make. It is better than bringing a child who will suffer and become a nuisance to society and put future lives at risk.
*Culled from The Southerner,
Friday, May 9, 2025
