Male attitudes to cases of unwanted pregnancy and their involvement in abortion decision making in southwest Nigeria

Olasupo P. Ogunjuyigbe, Obafemi Awolowo University
Sunday Adedini, Obafemi Awolowo University

In spite of the low prevalence of contraceptive, high rate of unwanted pregnancy and the danger of and threats of induced abortion on the reproductive health and lives of women, little effort has been made on the documentation and studies of the male partners’ involvement in decision making process among Nigerian couples. Also, the attitude and characteristics of men in influencing abortion decision in various ways has not been properly researched and documented. These include the attitude of men in declaring the status of pregnancy as unwanted with or without the consent of the woman involved; the initial reaction of male partner at the knowledge of such pregnancy; and payment of service charges etc. The paper, therefore, paid special attention to male issues in abortion resolution and prevention of repeat induced abortion in Nigeria, in particular and developing countries in general.