1.1 Introduction
An abortion is defined as the spontaneous end of a pregnancy before the fetus reaches viability (Elias & Sherman, 2007). While the term "abortion" is frequently utilized to denote a deliberate ending of a pregnancy, some individuals prefer to refer to a foetal loss that transpires spontaneously prior to viability as "miscarriage". The term proposes a legal understanding of the age at which a foetus can live outside of the womb. Slightly less than half of the 44 million abortions carried out annually throughout the world are estimated to be conducted unsafely (Sedghet al., 2012). The lowest abortion rate of any African sub-region is found in the Southern African sub-region, which is dominated by South Africa and where abortion was legalised in 1997 (15 per 1,000 women in 2008). West Africa is second with a rate of 28, East Africa is third with a rate of 38, and North Africa is last with a rate of 18 (WHO, 2008).
This chapter will address the background information that motivated this study, the challenges that prompted it, its aim, and its objectives as a preface to subsequent sections of the study. Additional factors include the study's significance, scope, limitations, research questions and hypotheses, and the definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Globally, around 73.3 million induced abortions were carried out annually worldwide between 2015 and 2019, with 45% of these procedures being carried out in an unsafe manner. Ethiopia was one of the poor nations where nearly half of these risky abortions were place. Over 98% of unsafe abortions occurred in developing nations (Gebremedhin et al. 2018; Bearak et al. 2020). Globally, one in ten pregnancies result in an unsafely induced abortion, accounting for over 210 million pregnancies annually (WHO, 2008; Tesfaye et al., 2014).
Unsafe abortions cause an estimated 68,000 women's deaths worldwide each year, and another 5.3 million leave them permanently or temporarily disabled. Unsafe abortion practices are a major contributor to maternal mortality and morbidity in underdeveloped nations. Furthermore, the poor world bears the brunt of the public health burden (Warriner et al., 2006).
Hood et al. (2004) asserted that, about half of all maternal fatalities in Africa are caused by complications from abortions. According to Siraneh et al. (2019), unsafe abortions are the primary cause of 13% of all maternal fatalities globally that are connected to abortion. The word "abortion" refers to the ending of a pregnancy before the 28th week of gestation following the last regular menstrual cycle or a baby weighing less than 1000 grammes (Health, 2013). According to Cunningham et al. (2014), spontaneous abortions, also known as miscarriages, happen when an embryo or foetus is lost owing to natural reasons. Induced abortions are defined as the deliberate medical or surgical termination of a living foetus before it is viable.
Although health care technology has advanced, unsafe abortion practices have not changed significantly worldwide. Ethiopian women are particularly vulnerable to complications from abortions because of a number of factors, including early sexual practice, rape, unmet family planning method needs, and rape (Gebremedhin et al. 2018; Amhare et al., 2019). Depending on their situation, women seek induced abortions for a number of reasons. A research done in Uganda and Denmark found that being single is the biggest factor influencing a woman's choice to have an abortion. Other factors that come in second are having two or more children, being under the age of 19, being a student, and being jobless (Rasch et al. 2008; Kaye et al., 2006).
Similar research conducted in Ethiopia found that the main causes of induced abortion include unintended pregnancy, single marital status, young age, poor income, employment position, and mother's educational attainment (Tesfaye et al., 2014; Jamie et al., 2020; Tilahun et al., 2017).
The development of more health centres, the training of more mid-level healthcare professionals, the expansion of abortion services to primary healthcare units, and the creation and distribution of national guidelines for the provision of safe and legal abortion services are just a few of the initiatives undertaken to improve the quality of abortion-related services (Health, 2010). The guidelines were updated in 2014 in order to provide wider access to second-trimester abortion services and to update the gestational age limitations for medication abortion (Holcombe et al., 2015).
The majority of abortions performed in Ethiopia are still dangerous, despite many efforts to improve access to safe abortion clinics (Moore et al. 2016). The reasons why women choose to end their pregnancies are not well understood, despite the gravity of the issue. Identifying its risk elements is crucial for monitoring the achievement of sustainable development goals since an additional upgrade is still required. Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Perceived Health Related Consequences of Unsafe Abortion Among Adolescents Girls in Eziani Community Secondary School Ihiala Local Government Area.
1.3 Statement of Problems
An investigation found that, despite the fact that it is lawful in many situations, abortion is severely stigmatized and frequently understood to be illegal throughout the nation (Aniteye, 2002). The majority of female students seeking abortions nonetheless choose for covert, typically dangerous procedures, despite the permissive character of the abortion law (Lithur, 2004). Studies have examined the procedures used to induce abortion as well as the socioeconomic and epidemiological aspects of women having abortions (Turpin, Danso, Odoi & 2000; Ahiadeke, 2001).
Nevertheless, it is unknown if any research has been done to evaluate the assumed causes of Nigerian women's illegal abortion practices. To avoid unsafe abortions in Nigeria, it is important to have a thorough grasp of these challenges.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to examine the Perceived Health Related Consequences of Unsafe Abortion among Adolescents Girls in Eziani Community Secondary School Ihiala Local Government Area. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To identify the factors that instigate adolescent girls' engagement in unsafe abortion;
- To determine possible effects of unsafe abortion among Adolescents Girls; and
- To ascertain whether unsafe abortion causes reproductive health complication among Adolescents Girls.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Does unsafe abortion causes reproductive health complication among Adolescents Girls?
- What are possible effects of unsafe abortion among Adolescents Girls?
- What are the factors which causes and contribute to adolescent girls' engagement in unsafe abortion?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: There is no significant factor that causes and contributes to adolescent girls' engagement in unsafe abortion
- H1: There is a significant factor that causes and contributes to adolescent girls' engagement in unsafe abortion
1.7 Significance of Study
This study will be beneficial to the society as the results of this study will reveal the dangers of abortion, and the effect of abortion on the sexual practices among Adolescents Girls thereby encouraging parents and guardians to take actions and decisions that will better educate their youths on abortion and its accompanying dangers.
Additionally, subsequent researchers will use it as literature review. This means that, other students who may decide to conduct studies in this area will have the opportunity to use this study as available literature that can be subjected to critical review. Invariably, the result of the study contributes immensely to the body of academic knowledge with regards to the causes and effect of abortion among women of reproductive age.
1.8 Scope of the Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Perceived Health Related Consequences of Unsafe Abortion among Adolescents Girls in Eziani Community Secondary School Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State in Nigeria.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, there were some problems encountered which stood as limitations to the research work. Some of the limitations include:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research Material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
- Initial Cooperation Delay from Respondents: A particular limitation of this work came as a result of the respondent refusal to offer their cooperation at the initial time they were contacted. This contributed in making the success of this research study difficult.
1.10 Definition of Terms
Abortion:
It is the termination of the pregnancy of a woman before it reaches full term.
Sexual Activities:
Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone to acts with another person in varying patterns of frequency, for a wide variety of reasons.
