Abuja, 25 October, 2024 / 10:00 pm (ACI Africa).
The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) has raised concerns about the Nigerian government’s reported move to broaden access to abortion, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding human dignity.
In a statement issued Friday, October 25, CSN Secretary General, Fr. Zacharia Nyantiso Samjumi reports that Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health is reviewing sections of the country's Criminal Code to increase access to “safe termination of pregnancies”.
“In a recent development, the Federal Government of Nigeria is allegedly working towards expanding access to safe termination of pregnancies in the country,” he says in the statement shared with ACI Africa.
The CSN Secretary makes reference to an October 4 report on Daily Trust where the Head of the Health Promotion Department of the Federal Ministry of Health, Barrister Nma Ogbonna, disclosed during the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Summit 1.0 that the Ministry was working on reviewing some sections of the Criminal Code 1090 on abortion to see its decriminalization.
Fr. Samjumi says, at the summit with the theme: ‘A Choice for All: Freedom to Plan, Power to Choose’, Barr. Ogbonna further disclosed that the health promotion department was “working assiduously to educate the populace on sexual reproductive health and rights and tackling maternal deaths in the country.”