The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered the suspension of the state’s guidelines on safe termination of pregnancy, IgbereTV reports
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.
He said the guidelines had generated immense public interest in the state.
The commissioner said the governor advised further sensitisation of the public and key stakeholders to ensure a clearer understanding of the objectives of the guidelines.
Abayomi said: “To this end, we are suspending the implementation of these guidelines in the meantime for the Executive Council to deliberate on this matter and ensure adequate public sensitisation and stakeholder engagement to reach a consensus required for a successful guideline development.”
He stressed that the ministry was seeking different methods to eliminate illegal abortions and ensure that a mother does not die at childbirth.
The commissioner said that illegal abortions and high risk pregnancies leading to unresolvable complications rank high among the several factors that contribute to maternal mortality.
“In this regard, it became imperative to examine, in keeping with existing National and State laws and policies, if there are indeed justifications and medical reasons to offer abortion to a woman whose life is threatened by a pregnancy,” he added
