This paper investigates the reproductive health knowledge and unsafe abortion practices among female adolescents in Senior Secondary Schools in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The study examined the relationship between the level of knowledge of adolescent girls on reproductive health issues and unsafe abortion. The study also examines the relationship between the knowledge level of adolescent girls on reproductive health issues and unsafe abortion. The study adopted explorative research design of the survey type. The population of the study comprised all the 44,619 female students spreading across the three (3) senatorial districts of Ekiti state. The sample for this study was 600 female adolescents. Multi-stage procedure which involved, simple random, stratified and purposive sampling techniques were used to select sample for the study. The instrument tagged “Reproductive Health Knowledge and Unsafe Abortion Practice Questionnaire (RHKUAPQ)” was used for the study. The instrument was validated by experts and RHKUAPQ had a reliability coefficient of 0.75. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistics of frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation were used to answer the general questions while the inferential statistics involving Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the hypothesis. Hypotheses was tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that the level of knowledge of female adolescents in secondary schools was average. The study also showed that the use of local drugs, lime and potash and traditional methods of abortion practices were forms of unsafe abortion being practiced among female adolescents in secondary schools in Ekiti State. The study revealed that adolescents’ reproductive health knowledge and unsafe abortion practice were significantly related. The study also revealed that socio-economic status of parents, parents’ education, cultural background, adolescents’ religion, peer group, adolescents’ location were significantly related to unsafe abortion practice among female adolescents in secondary schools in Ekiti State. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that management of secondary schools should provide effective clinical counseling services geared towards educating the female adolescents on the dangers inherent in unprotected sexual practices and unsafe abortion for improved sexual status.
