Preventing unsafe abortion in Nigeria

This paper reviews pertinent literature and identifies research needs relating to unsafe abortion in Nigeria. The paper is organised into three sections. In the first part of the article, a conceptual framework for developing a research agenda to prevent unsafe abortion among Nigerian women is articulated. This section argues for a systematic research agenda that would allow a fuller understanding of the determinants of all segments of the induced abortion cycle. In the second section of the article, we offer a detailed description of the available research data as well as gaps in knowledge on unsafe abortion in Nigeria. In the final part of the paper, recommendations are made on priority areas of research that are capable of stemming the high rate of morbidity and mortality from unsafe abortion among Nigerian women. In particular, the paper recommends high quality, multidisciplinary formative and intervention research to foster an understanding of the determinants of abortion among Nigerian women. Such research should be geared toward providing accurate information to policy makers in a logical manner so as to enable them to generate appropriate policies for preventing unsafe abortion.