DETERMINANTS OF INDUCED ABORTION AMONG UNDERGRADUATES STUDENTS IN NIGERIA

DETERMINANTS OF INDUCED ABORTION AMONG UNDERGRADUATES STUDENTS IN NIGERIA

Chapter One

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removing the foetus or embryo before it can survive outside the uterus. Miscarriage is another term for an abortion that occurs spontaneously. An abortion can be purposefully created, in which case it is referred to as an induced abortion or, less commonly, a “induced miscarriage”.

The term abortion is commonly used to refer only to induced abortions. When permitted by local legislation, induced abortion in the industrialised world is one of the safest medical treatments. Modern abortion treatments involve the use of medicine or surgery (Fagbemi, 2001).

Since ancient times, induced abortions have been performed using herbal remedies, sharp tools, force, or other traditional ways. Abortion legislation and cultural or religious perspectives on abortion vary around the world.

In certain regions, induced abortion is only lawful in certain circumstances, such as rape, foetal issues, poverty, health risks to a mother, or incest. Abortion’s moral, ethical, and legal implications are widely debated.

Those who oppose abortion frequently argue that an embryo or foetus is a human with a right to life and compare abortion to murder. Those who support abortion legalisation frequently argue that a woman has the right to control her own body (George, 2004).

Every year, over 205 million pregnancies occur around the world. More than a third are unintentional, and roughly a fifth result in induced abortion.

Most abortions are the outcome of unwanted pregnancies. A pregnancy can be purposefully terminated in a variety of ways. The method chosen is frequently determined by the embryo or foetus’ gestational age, which grows in size as the pregnancy advances. Specific operations may also be chosen based on legality, regional availability, and the doctor’s or women’s personal preferences.

The reasons for having an induced abortion are often classified as therapeutic or elective. An abortion is medically referred to as a therapeutic abortion when it is performed to save the pregnant woman’s life, prevent harm to the woman’s physical or mental health, terminate a pregnancy where there are indications that the child will have a significantly increased risk of premature morbidity or mortality or be otherwise disabled, or selectively reduce the number of foetuses to reduce the health risks associated with multiple pregnancy.

An elective or voluntary abortion is one that is conducted at the woman’s request for non-medical grounds (Adepoju, 1999). Abortion has recently received a lot of attention in Nigeria and around the world, making it a worldwide issue (Alimson, 2001).

The main concern in most discussions about abortion and related issues stems from the fact that abortion poses a serious threat to a woman’s health, but when performed by a medical specialist (i.e., abortion specialists), abortions are safe and relatively simple.

However, other factors (economic, social, educational, and family size) have also become important in terms of induced abortion or pregnancy termination.

Both male and female students are expected to be sexually responsible because many students in today’s culture are already sexually active, but females always bear the brunt of the duty because they are the ones who will be most harmed by any errors (Alimson, 2001).

For example, a female student who fails to take appropriate pregnancy precautions and becomes pregnant may get an abortion for the following reasons.

i. To complete her studies

ii. To prevent becoming a mother prematurely iii. To avoid being labelled as “loose” iv. Fear of having a child out of wedlock. (Almison 2001).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

A study conducted on the type of persons who engage in abortion will undoubtedly reveal that it is adolescents and youths. The minority will be older people (particularly those over the age of childbearing). Other than medical reasons, a number of other factors have been recognised as contributing to abortion.

Most countries have a negative attitude towards this occurrence. In Nigeria, the abortion Act of 1967, amended in 1982, states that a pregnancy should be terminated if it poses a greater risk to the pregnant woman’s life, if it is necessary to prevent serious harm to the pregnant woman’s physical or mental health, or if the pregnancy has not reached the 24th week.

As a result, the aforementioned Act allows for the termination of a pregnancy under certain conditions. Most women with the following criteria will have an abortion performed lawfully by medical experts.

Given the societal shame associated with undesired pregnancies, many young girls who become pregnant seek abortion as the sole method to end their pregnancies.

This, however, poses major health concerns and has even resulted in the deaths of young girls. For example, unsafe abortion causes a variety of consequences, including haemorrhage, uterine perforation, secondary infertility, and death.

It is also clear that unsafe abortion has a negative health impact, as evidenced by fatalities, illnesses, injuries, and emergency care cases (Expanding Access to Safe Abortion, 1993).

Aside from the hazards of unsafe abortion, there are substantial health problems associated with adolescent or teen pregnancy. Teenagers, for example, are more likely to experience pelvic bone immaturity, protracted labour, and other complications during childbirth.

The dread of being expelled or dropping out of school due to an unwelcome pregnancy drives undergraduate students to engage in abortion, and in order to abort the baby, they go to quack doctors for a low price or consume concoctions that either kill them or ruin their womb. Money is an issue in this instance as well.

George (2004) clearly discovered that around 72.5% of individuals involved in abortion are female students, 17.5% are unmarried women, and 4.3% are housewives.

This rate has become problematic. As a result, the purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants of induced abortion among undergraduate students in Nigeria, specifically the reasons for students’ involvement in abortion.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The aims of this investigation are as follows:

i. Investigate the factors that contribute to induced abortion among Nigerian undergraduate students.

ii. Investigate the unfavourable repercussions or drawbacks of induced abortion among undergraduate students.

iii. To discover the most effective approaches to prevent or mitigate the harmful effects of induced abortion among undergraduate students.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS.

i. What are the risk factors for induced abortion among Nigerian undergraduate students?

ii. What are the negative repercussions or disadvantages of induced abortion among undergraduate students?

iii. What are the most effective approaches to avoid or mitigate the negative consequences of induced abortion among undergraduate students?

1.6 Significance of the Study

The following are the implications of this study:

i. The findings of this study will benefit all types of women, female students, and society in general. This is because understanding the causes of abortion will allow society, university officials, and policymakers to look for ways to address and lessen the problem.

ii. The findings of this study will assist individuals in identifying the negative effect or disadvantage associated with abortion and how it affects society as a whole.

iii. This study will contribute to the corpus of literature on the effect of personality traits on student academic achievement, thereby serving as the empirical foundation for future research in the field.

1.7 Scope/Limitations of the Study

This study will look at the causes and consequences of induced abortion among undergraduate students in Nigeria.

Limitations of the study

Financial constraints- Insufficient funds tend to restrict the researcher’s efficiency in accessing relevant resources, literature, or information, as well as in data collecting (internet, questionnaire, and interview).

Time constraints: The researcher will conduct this investigation while also working on other academic projects. This will reduce the time spent on research work.