15:T704,

No fewer than 23 teenage girls have been feared killed within the last one year through the use of native concoction for abortion.

It was reliably gathered that teenage girls within some communities in Agbor, Kwale, Isoko North and South who became pregnant and were desperate to do away with the pregnancies, sought the help of local doctors, who prepared and administered the herbal concoctions, which ended up costing them their lives, most times.

Although security agents have arrested several native doctors in the areas over their use of the portions in terminating pregnancies, the increasing number of deaths arising from intake of the portions now poses serious threats to the free medical health services introduced by the administration of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, especially for pregnant women.

Checks revealed that teenage girls between 15 and 16 years of age, who have dropped out of school because of the unwanted pregnancies, are seen hanging around communities in Isoko, Kwale, Agbor and Asaba communities, waiting for ‘remedies’ from the native doctors.

The police, through its spokesman, ASP Lucky Uyabeme, have warned that it will no longer be business as usual for the “quacks” who specialise in preparing the concoction for some of the girls, and encouraging them to take them.

A native doctor who refused to give his name revealed that did not want his name in the print, said: “We give them concoction when the pregnancy is just two months and warn them against misuses”. But further investigations revealed that these girls find difficult to check into hospitals, because they fear that they might be ridiculed and arrested.

•Credit (except headline): Leadership.

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