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The Oyo State House of Assembly on Thursday passed a bill to provide legal framework and encourage family planning and maternity service in the state.
The bill, Oyo State Family Planning, Reproductive Health and Maternity Service, 2017, was sponsored by Mr Silas Okunlola (Iwajowa) state Constituency and Mrs Bimbo Oladeji ( Ogbomoso North) .
According to Okunlola, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Health, the law is to encourage child spacing and promote happy and healthy families. He said the law will also address illegal termination of pregnancy as violators may face murder charges.
“The law is trying to encourage family planning in the state because when we have healthy family, we will have healthy state.
“The law also addresses area of pregnancy termination; we understand that many people have been involved in it; there is need for checks to prevent loss of lives and agony experienced as a family .
“The law only recommends abortion for people recommended by medical specialists for pregnancy termination in order to save the life of the woman.”
Okunlola said the law also established committees that will see to the enforcement of the provisions at state to local government levels.