In a country where an estimated 1.25 million unsafe abortions occur annually, Nigeria’s Senate is considering legislation that would make a dire situation catastrophic. The Criminal Code Amendment Bill 2025, which recently came before the Senate for concurrence, proposes a ten-year jail term for anyone supplying drugs or instruments to procure abortions. This represents more than a threefold increase from the current three-year penalty. But as confusion erupted among lawmakers over the bill’s vague language during Tuesday’s plenary session, a more fundamental question emerged: are we criminalizing healthcare itself?
Senate President Godswill Akpabio therefore suspended consideration of the bill and referred it to the Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters since the senators could not agree on what constituted an “unlawful abortion”.
“The Nigeria Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters is a key legislative body responsible for overseeing the administration of justice in the country. It plays a crucial role in ensuring that the legal system is fair, efficient, and accessible to all citizens. The committee is involved in various functions, including the appointment, promotion, and discipline of judicial officers, as well as the harmonization of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It also engages in thematic areas such as the UN Human Rights Council and its Universal Periodic Review, the UN CEDAW Committee, and other international bodies. The committee regularly cooperates and coordinates with other bodies to share reports, meet, and follow up on actions.” (Nigeria Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters)
When lawmakers themselves cannot determine the boundary between criminal acts and medical care, asks the article, how can doctors be expected to navigate these waters while a patient haemorrhages before them?
SOURCE: CultureCustodian.com, by Shalom Tewobola. 2 November 2025. PHOTO: Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Daily Post, Nigeria.