AN APPRAISAL OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS AND THE LAW IN NIGERIA

This research critically appraises the legal and institutional framework governing reproductive health rights in Nigeria, assessing the extent to which these rights are recognized, protected, and effectively implemented. Although reproductive health rights are supported by various constitutional provisions, statutory instruments such as the National Health Act 2014 and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015, as well as international treaties like CEDAW and the Maputo Protocol, the study finds that Nigeria lacks a comprehensive and enforceable reproductive health rights regime. Using doctrinal and analytical research methods, the work examines constitutional guarantees, statutory provisions, policy documents, and scholarly literature to identify the major legal, cultural, and institutional barriers impeding the realization of these rights. Key findings reveal significant gaps in legislation, limited judicial interpretation, cultural and religious resistance, inadequate funding, and weak institutional structures. The study concludes that meaningful protection of reproductive health rights in Nigeria requires the enactment of a comprehensive reproductive health law, domestication of international human-rights instruments, improved institutional capacity, and stronger public awareness initiatives. It recommends reforms aimed at strengthening legal clarity, enhancing judicial responsiveness, and promoting rights-based reproductive health governance across the country.