Anti-Abortion Legislation and Its Impacts on Maternal Health Care in Nigeria

There is a global push for improved delivery of health services to women due to the increase in maternal mortality resulting from childbirth and abortion, among other things. In some countries, abortion is legalised, while it is a criminal offence in others due to morality, religion or potential abuse. This study set out to examine the impact of Nigeria's anti-abortion law (the criminal code) on the delivery of maternal health services in Akure metropolis. Three hundred and eighty respondents comprising of women in their reproductive years as well as health workers (male and female) were recruited across health centers, hospitals and caregiving homes within the city. Data was gathered through a close-ended structured questionnaire and open-ended interview schedule. To achieve study objectives, four research hypotheses developed from the research questions were tested using linear regression. The first tried to ascertain the level of awareness of women and health workers about the anti-abortion law, while the second sought their perception towards the effectiveness of the law, the third hypothesis tried to understand the extent to which the abortion legislation has impacted the rates of abortion in the city, while the final hypothesis sought to understand whether the criminal code anti-abortion law has or has not significantly affected maternal health service delivery in Akure metropolis.