SQL/DB Error -- [Unknown table engine 'InnoDB']

afrol News, 14 July - Abortions are legal in Ghana, but only 4 percent of Ghanaian women know this. As a result, unsafe abortions are widely carried out, making it the major cause of maternal deaths in the country.

This was revealed in a new report released by the New York-based Guttmacher Institute today. The report brings together data from various studies, including the 2007 Ghana Maternal Health Survey (GMHS), to present what is known about abortion in Ghana.

Researchers found that more than one in 10 pregnancy-related deaths in Ghana are the result of unsafe abortions. In addition, 13 percent of Ghanaian women who have had an abortion experience complications resulting from unsafe procedures, and fewer than half of them received the needed follow-up care.

"These statistics are all the more remarkable because Ghana is one of the few African countries where abortion is legal under fairly broad grounds, and abortion performed by a qualified professional under proper conditions is an extremely safe procedure," according to the report.

A major factor contributing to unsafe abortion in Ghana is that only 4 percent of women surveyed in 2007 were aware that abortion is legal under fairly broad grounds.

"Unaware that they can legally obtain a safe abortion procedure, many women turn to unsafe providers. Women also face other barriers to accessing safe abortion services, including high cost, a limited number of qualified abortion providers and concerns about social stigma," the report says.

According to the 2007 GMHS survey, at least 7 percent of all pregnancies in Ghana end in abortion, and 15 percent of women aged 15–49 admitted to having had an abortion. Abortion rates were highest among 20–24-year-olds, educated and wealthier women, and those living in urban areas.

According to the same survey, just over half of Ghanaian women who admitted that they had had an abortion sought a doctor to perform the procedure, while most others turned to pharmacists or traditional midwives to induce abortion. Almost one in five women induced the abortion themselves or had the help of a friend.

The most common reason women sought an abortion was not having the financial means to take care of a child. Other frequently reported reasons included wanting to delay childbearing or complete school.

"That so many Ghanaian women are killed or injured by unsafe abortion is all the more tragic because it is unnecessary," says researcher and report author Gilda Sedgh at the Guttmacher Institute.

"Efforts to increase awareness of the law, combined with better access to family planning services, would radically reduce deaths and injuries, improving the lives of women and families in Ghana," Ms Sedgh urges Ghanaian authorities.

More than a third of all pregnancies in Ghana are unintended. "This high level of unintended pregnancy is due to the fact that many women who do not want to become pregnant are not using an effective method of contraception," the researcher adds, recommending better reproductive health education for Ghanaian youths.

By staff writer

© afrol News

Tweet

Printable version

On the Afrol News front page now

UN will not monitor human rights in Western Sahara afrol News - The US has backed down on its demand that UN peacekeepers in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara also shall monitor the human rights situation after Moroccan sources threatened to scale down relations with Washington. Read more

Central African Republic

Central African Republic falling apart afrol News - One month after the rebel movement Séléka took over power in the Central African Republic, unrest is spreading in the country. The new leader lacks control of his forces, which continue looting and abusing civilians. Read more

Kenya

Kenyatta secures tight victory in Kenya afrol News - The official election results in Kenya have finally been announced, and Uhuru Kenyatta managed to win the first poll round outright with a narrow 50.7 percent. But the main opponent, PM Raila Odinga, is filing a vote rigging complaint to the courts. Read more

Cape Verde Cape Verde to produce dragon fruit afrol News - Cape Verde authorities have invested large sums to diversify the arid country's agricultural sector. Now, the dragon fruit, originating in tropical America, is being introduced for the first commercial production in Africa. Read more

Egypt Even governors in Pharaonic Egypt died in their 20s afrol News - Researchers have analysed more than 200 mummies from ancient Egypt, finding that even high dignitaries were poorly nourished and had infectious diseases. The typical governor in Pharaonic Egypt died before he was 30 years old. Read more