IMMANUEL KANT'S CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE AND THE QUESTION OF ABORTION IN NIGERIA

Clandestine abortion no doubt has been predominant in the Nigerian society over the years. This malaise of course has great effect on the life of posterity of the Nigerian society. Not only that it puts the future generations of Nigerian citizens into a state of jeopardy, as such it has generated certain moral questions. Thus the aim of this chapter is to analyse Immanuel Kant's Categorical Imperatives in relation to the question of abortion in Nigeria. The issues of abortion as this research observed is not just the business of teenage unwanted pregnancy but also the business of women with unplanned pregnancy due to Nigeria's low contraceptive prevalence. The paper work addresses how to make a moral decision as humans before committing such atrocious act through the instrumentality of Kant's ideas on reason as the source of moral law, particularly his categorical imperative. It will expound the dignity of human person as a response to this termination of life through abortion by exploring two arms of Kant's categorical imperative which are; (i) persons as an end in themselves and (ii) persons as moral legislators (which is sometimes called the “principle of autonomy). Through the first arm of Kant's categorical imperative: conformity to a universal law, the paper looks at the place of abortion in Nigerian legal system. The chapter also x-rays the positions of both prolife and prochoice and how their debates is driving the pro-abortionists and anti-abortionists movement in Nigeria. Consequently, the chapter in alignment with Immanuel Kant's thought proposes that human rational nature which is the only guide to a morally justified decision suggests that human life at any stage of existence should be respected and dignify. Therefore, abortion is morally impressible and should remain illegal in Nigeria because it affects the sanctity of human life, the right of existence of the embryo as a rational person with intrinsic value and autonomy with which by that nature deserves to live.

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