An Analysis of the Increase in Mortality Rate as a Result of Abortion Among Young Women of Childbearing Age
CHAPTER ONE
Objectives of Study
Main objective
The purpose of this study is to enlighten the Nigerian people especially young women on the dangers and complication of abortion. Also, to bring to the public, case of young women who have paid the price of abortion in terms of physical health and emotional anguish.
Specific objectives
- To investigate if young women resort to abortion in the event of an unwanted pregnancy.
- To examine if abortion if a reason for the increased mortality rate among young women.
- To examine the chances of survival of young women who engage in abortion.
- To investigate if peer pressure can lead to the increase of abortion among young women in the society.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
This chapter deals with the review of related literature on abortion as a causative factor to the increase in mortality rate among adolescents.
Concept of abortion
Abortion is the ending of pregnancy by removing a fetus or embryo before it can survive outside the uterus (Grimes, 2010). Maternal morbidity and mortality related to complications of unsafe abortion have been identified as major public health problems. Around 56 million abortions are performed each year in the world with a little under half done unsafely (WHO, 2012). Since ancient times, abortions have been done using herbal medicines, sharp tools, or through other traditional methods. Abortion laws and cultural or religious views of abortions are different around the world. In some areas abortion is legal only in specific cases such as rape, problems with the fetus, poverty, risk to a woman‟s health, or incest (Culwell et al, 2010). In many places there is much debate over the moral, ethical, and legal issues of abortion. Those who oppose abortion often maintain that an embryo or fetus is a human with a right to life and may compare abortion to murder. Those who favour legality of abortion often hold that a woman has a right to make decisions about her own body (Mahowald, 2017). In many places where abortion is illegal or carries a heavy social stigma, medical reporting of abortion is not reliable. The reasons why women have abortion are diverse and vary across the world. Some of the most common reasons are to postpone child bearing to a more suitable time or to focus energies and resources on existing children (Culwell et al, 2010). Other reasons include being unable to afford a child either in terms of the direct costs of raising a child or the loss of income while caring for the child, lack of support from the father, inability to afford additional children, desire to provide schooling for existing children, disruption of one‟s own education, relationship problems with their partner, a perception of being too young to have a child, unemployment, and not being willing to raise a child conceived as a result of rape or incest (Culwell et al, 2010). Some abortions are done as a result of societal problems. These might include the preference for children of a specific sex, disapproval of single or early motherhood, stigmatisation of people with disabilities, insufficient economic support for families, lack of access to or rejection of contraceptive methods, or efforts towards population control (such as China‟s one-child policy).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter describes the method and procedure that were used in the study under the following sub-headings:
- Design of the study
- Population
- Sample and sampling procedure
- Instrumentation
- Validity of instrument
- Reliability of instrument
- Method of data collection
- Data analysis
Design of Study
The survey research was used in this study according to Davis (1975), the survey research may be employed to enumerate the characteristic abilities, behaviour or opinions of subject to delineate through words or qualitative values the status of a group, institution, structure or other facilities or to human beings or subject.
The design was used to investigate abortion as a causative factor to the increase in mortality rate among adolescent (ages 15 – 20) in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State.
Study area
The study was conducted in Egor local Government Area (LGA) of Edo State. Egor is a City of Edo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Uselu.
It has an area of 93 km² and a population of 339,899 at the 2006 census. Egor LGA is located in the State Capital, Benin City. It is 90% urban and 10% rural. Egor LGA is divided into 10 geopolitical wards and it is cosmopolitan but the major tribe is Benin.
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Result
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
Abortion has been discussed in this study from the point of view of many experts.
The definition and types of abortion has been explained. Reasons, solutions, dangers and complications that result from the termination of an unwanted pregnancy has also been discussed.
The topic abortion as a causative factor to the increase in the mortality rate among young women in Egor Local Government Area, Edo State is one that needs to be further researched into so as to find a solution to the problems of procured abortion among adolescents in Egor Local Government Area.
The researcher aimed at creating awareness on the dangers and complications of abortions, and also to find out the causes of abortion among young teenage girls in Egor Local Government. The researcher’s aimed also at finding an alternative or solution to abortion in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State.
Throughout this study, the researcher came across various views and opinions on abortion in the country. Presently, abortion in Nigeria is illegal, and its is the major cause of death among adolescents. And for this reason, it should not exist in our society except when the health of the woman is in danger but this not the case instead abortion is still practiced.
Many adolescents engage in abortion as a result of shame, poverty, pressure from peers, etc. Many of the dangers and complications that result from abortion, are from those performed by unqualified doctors and nurses.
In this study, 28% of the respondents strongly agreed that criminal abortions are mainly causes of death among adolescents and 62% of the respondents agreed to this issue. That is, abortion done by quacks are the leading cause of death among adolescents.
Findings of the study
The following were the findings from this study:
- Abortion is a way out of unwanted pregnancy.
- Abortion is the reason for the increased mortality rate among adolescents.
- Adolescents have some chances of survival when abortion is done by experts.
- Peer influence leads to the increase rate of abortion among adolescents in the society.
Conclusion
After a careful analysis of the data collected, the researcher has concluded that abortion when legally and adequately performed, may not lead to death. It was also discovered that peer influences induce adolescents to engage in abortion. It was also observed that majority of the respondents were of the view that abortion leads to increased incidence of death among adolescents.
This means that many of the teenage girls who procure abortion have a little chance of survival.
After peer influence induce adolescents to engage in criminal abortion, since these teenage girls would not be able to afford abortion in hospitals, they take any advice from their friends to terminate the pregnancy without weighing the adverse effect it might have on them.
It was also discovered that abortion done by unqualified personnel are the leading cause of adolescents deaths because they use unsterilized and out-dated equipment and it usually done under unhygienic conditions.
It was concluded that abortion is the causative factor to the increase in the mortality rate among adolescents but if abortion is legalized, this problem can be reduced.
Recommendations
- The government should provide counselling centres for young mothers, they should also provide the maternal and child health services for teenage mothers.
- The Nigerian Medical Association should help to solve the abortion problem by devising ways of punishing doctors who go against the ethics of the profession by performing abortion. Doctors should also educate patients especially young women on the dangers and complication of abortion and they should counsel and encourage them to seek alternative solutions.
- Secondary schools should include sex and sexual education in their school curriculum.
- Religious instruction should be reinforced in homes and schools. Parents should devote more time to their children and should discourage pre-marital sex. Parents should also monitor their children to know where they are, at each time and to know the type of friends they keep.
- The mass media should be actively involved in educating the public on the dangers of abortion and should include sex-education in their programmes. They should ban the showing of phonographic films.
- The society as a whole should be empathetic with women especially young women who are faced with the problem of unwanted pregnancies, and should help them seek an alternative solution based on love and understanding, instead of rejecting them, because society’s rejection of such young women is one of the reasons why they go for abortion.
REFERENCES
- Agnes, R.E. (2015). Obstetric and Gynecological Nursing. London: Macmillan Publishers.
- Barbara, L.H., John, O.S., Joseph, I.S., Lissa, M.H., Karen, D.B., (2013)..Wiliam Gynaecology. (2nd Edition). Chapter 6. Publishers?
- Brenda, E., Laura, F., Suzanne, W., Paul, E., Windham, G.C., Swan, S.H. (2014). Physical Exertionas a Risk Factor for Spontaneous Abortion. Epidemiology.; 114(4): 188-193.
- Cohen-Overbeek, T.E., Hop, W.C.J., Den Ouden, M., Pijpars, L., Jahoda, M. G. L. & Wladimiroff, J. W. (1990). Spontaneous abortion rate and advanced maternal age: consequences for prenatal diagnosis. The Lancet; 336:27-29
- Collins Dictionary of Medicine (2012).
- Culwel, K.R., Vekemans, M. & Hurwitz, M. (2010). „Critical gaps in universal access to reproductive health: Contraception and prevention of unsafe abortion‟. International Journalof Gynaecology and Obstetrics. 110: S13-16.
