In a country like Nigeria, where pregnancy out of wedlock, especially among young people could lead to ostracizing, and a host of other punishments. It is no surprise that young people, especially young girls have taken to various means to perform abortions.
In Nigeria, abortion is illegal, perceived to be a taboo, and carries a heavy jail sentence up to 14 years imprisonment except if it is performed to save the life of the pregnant woman.
Here are top 7 dangerous methods Nigerian girls employ in aborting unwanted pregnancies:
1. D and C
Popularly known as D and C, it means: Dilation and Curettage, a brief surgical procedure in which the cervix is dilated and a special instrument is used to scrape the uterine lining. D and C is used clandestinely, to carry out abortions illegally in Nigeria. And in most cases, it is carried out by quacks who parade themselves as doctors. The price could be as low as N4,000 and any amount upwards depending on the months of pregnancy and complications involved. Many times, Nigerisn girls have lost their lives through this method.
2. Dry Gin
While dry gin is legally sold in Nigeria, there exists a proliferation of people who produce illicit gin also. There have been reports of cases, where young girls mix dry gin with some other substance to induce abortion. The most common mixture is dry gin and the common ‘Alabukun’ powder or pottash.
3. Lime
Lime or lemon juice has been proven scientifically to prevent conception, at least in rats. This might be the reason why some also use lime juice to induce abortion. Some have said it works better, if the lime juice is mixed with Alabukun powder as stated above, and the popular 7up carbonated drink. How this crude method works is still a mystery, but it has been spoken in whispers among pregnant teenagers and used by some.
4. Abortion pills
There have also been many talks of pills, used for abortion. One interesting thing about this, is that most pills mentioned in connection with abortion, are pills you can get over the counter, at your local chemist. Yet, they only work for abortions, when they are taken in doses that are dangerous to human health.
5. Herbal potions
They come in different form and quantity. Nigerian teenage girls, especially those who live in urban areas ingest herbal potions to terminate unwanted pregnancies.
6. Coat hanger
Not many cases of this have been reported in the media, yet it exist. A story; ‘I do not want this child’ published by Olatunji Ololade of The Nation sheds more light on the use of this. 15-year-old Doris after trying the herbal way resorted to the use of hanger in aborting a pregnancy. Few minutes into the church service, Doris and her friend Tonye snuck into an uncompleted building few blocks away. There, Doris stuck a steel coat hanger through her vagina, all the way into her uterus. She twisted it sideways, upwards and downwards, hoping to terminate her pregnancy. Her efforts seemed to pay off when she started to bleed profusely. This act later threw her family into mourning as she eventually died clutching at her navel, after series of surgeries.
7. Tightening gears
As if the pregnancy will terminate if forced with tight garment and material, Nigerian girls go as far as asking friends to sit on their stomach to relieve tham of a pregnancy. Some wear very tight cloths.
Photo: Daily Post
In Nigeria, abortion is illegal, perceived to be a taboo, and carries a heavy jail sentence up to 14 years imprisonment except if it is performed to save the life of the pregnant woman.
Here are top 7 dangerous methods Nigerian girls employ in aborting unwanted pregnancies:
1. D and C
Popularly known as D and C, it means: Dilation and Curettage, a brief surgical procedure in which the cervix is dilated and a special instrument is used to scrape the uterine lining. D and C is used clandestinely, to carry out abortions illegally in Nigeria. And in most cases, it is carried out by quacks who parade themselves as doctors. The price could be as low as N4,000 and any amount upwards depending on the months of pregnancy and complications involved. Many times, Nigerisn girls have lost their lives through this method.
2. Dry Gin
While dry gin is legally sold in Nigeria, there exists a proliferation of people who produce illicit gin also. There have been reports of cases, where young girls mix dry gin with some other substance to induce abortion. The most common mixture is dry gin and the common ‘Alabukun’ powder or pottash.
3. Lime
Lime or lemon juice has been proven scientifically to prevent conception, at least in rats. This might be the reason why some also use lime juice to induce abortion. Some have said it works better, if the lime juice is mixed with Alabukun powder as stated above, and the popular 7up carbonated drink. How this crude method works is still a mystery, but it has been spoken in whispers among pregnant teenagers and used by some.
4. Abortion pills
There have also been many talks of pills, used for abortion. One interesting thing about this, is that most pills mentioned in connection with abortion, are pills you can get over the counter, at your local chemist. Yet, they only work for abortions, when they are taken in doses that are dangerous to human health.
5. Herbal potions
They come in different form and quantity. Nigerian teenage girls, especially those who live in urban areas ingest herbal potions to terminate unwanted pregnancies.
6. Coat hanger
Not many cases of this have been reported in the media, yet it exist. A story; ‘I do not want this child’ published by Olatunji Ololade of The Nation sheds more light on the use of this. 15-year-old Doris after trying the herbal way resorted to the use of hanger in aborting a pregnancy. Few minutes into the church service, Doris and her friend Tonye snuck into an uncompleted building few blocks away. There, Doris stuck a steel coat hanger through her vagina, all the way into her uterus. She twisted it sideways, upwards and downwards, hoping to terminate her pregnancy. Her efforts seemed to pay off when she started to bleed profusely. This act later threw her family into mourning as she eventually died clutching at her navel, after series of surgeries.
7. Tightening gears
As if the pregnancy will terminate if forced with tight garment and material, Nigerian girls go as far as asking friends to sit on their stomach to relieve tham of a pregnancy. Some wear very tight cloths.
Photo: Daily Post
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