WHY YOU SHOULD LEARN ABOUT CONTRACEPTION

A married woman whose last delivery was about 7 months ago came bleeding, please don’t ask me where from. She claimed it was just her menses that became unusually heavy, but from my little experience, I knew something was not right. Further investigations into the matter revealed that she had attempted an abortion with some pills, and that was why blood was flowing ceaselessly; literally
like a stream of terminally dribbling urine.
Another mother of 6 children who was pregnant with the 7^th child also tried a termination and was
successful but ended up terminating herself alongside. Mind you, these didn’t happen in one dark
hamlet in the back of beyond, like those ones with largely uneducated people in the north; they
happened in a metropolis like Ibadan and Lagos.
While not trying to spoil your day with these sad stories, I think it is important that we be reminded
of the fact that the consequences of abortions done inappropriately could be far reaching.
Do you know that Nigeria has one of the highest rates of induced abortions in the world?
Unbelievable!!! Unfortunately, there’s no data to back up this claim because abortion is illegal in
the country; so most induced miscarriages are either done by charlatans, or qualified
practitioners in the dark. Consequently, only the data for the complicated cases are available. I
saw a statistical report that put the rate in developing countries at 37 per 1000 women and I
could only laugh at it, when one quack who owns a shop in the bush could do as much as 15 in a
day. I will not delve into the debate on the pros and cons of legalizing abortion; however, I can
point out that the prevention of unwanted pregnancy is legal and extremely affordable, as at the
last time I checked.
There are many ways (contraceptives) to prevent pregnancy; calendar method, withdrawal
method, condoms, use of pills, injections, implants and the application of IUCD (intrauterine
contraceptive device). Get more information about these and help yourself and the women/girls
around you, don’t assume you would always get away with it as usual. The fact that some pills
brought the unformed baby out for your friend doesn’t mean they’ll work for you. If you like drink
all the salt in this world, when you get pregnant, it will be like a nollywood movie.