The Federal Government has been asked to look at the possibility of expanding and amending laws on reproductive issues in Nigeria.
Director Legal of Lawyers Alert, Barr. Bamidele Jacobs, gave the charge at a 2-day refresher training for judicial correspondents on Rights-Based Reporting and Strategic Communication, held in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.
Jacobs noted that this when done will reduce the increased cases of maternal mortality in the country.
He explained that these laws would significantly lessen stigma, trauma and aid in survivors’ reintegration into society if they were revised to meet their needs and support safe healthcare.
Jacobs urged journalists to be well equipped, avoid bias and educate members of the public as to the true position of what reproductive issues are.
“The federal and all level of governments should begin to look at the possibility of expanding our laws on reproductive issues in Nigeria.
“You can imagine someone who has been raped; a daughter raped by the father and it has resulted into pregnancy and you are still forcing that child to carry the pregnancy.
“While looking at the child when born I’m sure that she would never forgive anyone. And the same goes for somebody who has been raped, that alone is traumatizing, talk more of forcing the person to contend with the pregnancy and give birth to the child,” he said.
He clarified that while they are not advocating for everyone to procure abortion, “for cases of women who have been raped, incest, and those who became pregnant after sexual assault, the law should be fair enough”.
Also speaking, Wemimo Adewumi, a media and communication expert trainer, emphasised the importance of journalists constantly embracing right-based reporting, adhering to ethics and professionalism devoid of biases, especially when covering delicate and sensitive issues like safe termination of pregnancy.
Adewumi called for more professionally written headlines that are right-based and protect victims rather than cause harm.
She noted that Nigeria leads the world in the number of women dying from unsafe abortions, pointing out that if the STOP guidelines were fully implemented, they would lessen the misery and secrecy surrounding abortion, and help women who are dying and visiting quacks.
“When a woman or girl does not want a pregnancy she will get rid of it. Nigeria is leading, unfortunately, in death of women from unsafe termination of pregnancies. We cannot continue to play the ostrich, we need them to be able to come boldly to doctors who have been trained, who are gynecologists.
“We have national and state guidelines, we need to stick by them and save the lives of women.”
Earlier in his remarks, the Senior Communications Officer for Lawyers Alert, Linus Egwu, explained that the training was aimed at equipping journalists with the tools needed to report reproductive issues better than they have been doing.
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Eze Chidiebere Paul
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