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Entertainment of Wednesday, 11 January 2023

Source: www.mynigeria.com

Why I had two abortions at age 19, 24 – Phyna

Phyna Phyna

Big Brother Naija season 7 winner, Ijeoma Otabor popularly known as Phyna has revealed why she had two abortions.

Speaking during an interview with Punch, Phyna disclosed the circumstances that led her to abort two pregnancies.

According to the reality star, her first abortion happened at the age of 19 and the second occurred when she was 24 years old.

She narrated that poverty prevented her from keeping the first pregnancy as her family could only afford one meal a day.

On her second abortion, the relationship was toxic as she was constantly abused by her ex-boyfriend hence her decision to take out the baby.

The high priestess as she is fondly called said she is not bothered by the criticism and that she had prayed to God for forgiveness already.

Phyna cautioned ladies to “either you abstain from sex, use protection or when it happens; you are either ready to chest the baby or take it out, especially when the situation is beyond you.”

Her words;

“In my family as a whole, we are very open. People just read meaning to things and say whatever they want, I really do not care. I was just laughing at their responses to me because those that know me know me, I am an open book. I actually responded to that woman when she said “I can’t respond to you, you are an abortionist,” and then I said yes that I have committed abortions. It is fine how people want to see me, I am not ashamed of anything about myself. If I ever make a mistake, I own up to my mistakes. When my dad called me about it, he asked why I said something like that, I just said daddy I learnt it from you oo.

“As for my reasons for taking abortion pills, if there are 100 women in Nigeria today, 98 have done abortions. So, no one should judge me. I was in a 12-year relationship then and I was so young. The first abortion was when I was 19; I couldn’t go home to tell my parents that I was pregnant at that age. And the two pregnancies were so early like two to three weeks that I could just use tablets. The second was when I was 24, and I had finished serving then. I was ready to keep it but the relationship was getting toxic. He abused me and always beat me up. I said to myself that I couldn’t do this anymore, so I took it out and that was how I ended the relationship.

“Why would I do that? The way I am now, I have money to take care of 10 children, so why? In fact, if my parents were rich at the time of my first pregnancy, I wouldn’t have aborted it. But because I knew I was from a very poor background, we used to eat once a day then, especially in the afternoon and then carry it till the next day. So, keeping the baby then, was no option for me.

“In the face of God, it’s a sin and I have prayed and gone for confession. I am Catholic and I know God has forgiven me. It is what God says that counts. I don’t care what anybody thinks or says. I am not proud of committing abortion but the situation surrounding it was what I couldn’t help. For me, I do not see the essence of bringing children into this world when you are not ready. So, it’s either you abstain from sex, use protection or when it happens; you are either ready to chest the baby or take it out, especially when the situation is beyond you. Everybody has their own purpose behind their actions, just that there are some who are not scared of committing abortions at all, which is not good.”

BS