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Teenagers Resort To The Use Of Concoctions For Abortion

By Pat Aboagyewaa
Headlines Teenagers Resort To The Use Of Concoctions For Abortion
MAY 25, 2015 LISTEN

Girls at the basic school level at Atronie, Antwikrom and Atuahenekrom in the Sunyani Municipality have revealed that they prefer the use of concoctions to terminate abortion rather than going to health facilities to access the services.

The Girls noted that , "when we go to the facilities for abortion services, the Service Providers rather push the embryo to a more suitable place in the womb with the deceit that the pregnancy has been terminated successfully, but few months later the pregnancy develop and we have no option than to deliver or resort to the use of concoctions".

These revelations came out during a separate sensitization forum on Access to Safe Abortion and Contraceptive usage among Young People organized by Global Media Foundation under its Access to Safe Abortion and Contraceptive Services project with support from Safe Abortion Action Fund.

It also forms part of month long activities lined by GLOMEF to commemorate this year's International Day of Action for Women's Health which falls on 28th of this month.

The recipient schools included Atronie Methodist Primary and JHS, Atronie St. Paul’s R/C Primary and JHS, Atuahenekrom M/A Primary and JHS and Antwikrom Primary and JHS.

Some of the concoctions or solutions they revealed are helpful for aborting pregnancies were dreadful, and they includes, a mixture of ash and salt with water, a mixture of malt and nest café, a mixture of Hacks with Coca-Cola, a solution of grinded bottles and Akpeteshie with sugar, among others.

The girls admitted it was dangerous using the concoctions, but it was cheaper and easy to come by, when the need arises, adding that though some girls have lost their lives out of the use of concoctions whilst other have lost their womb, they still have no option but to still use it.

A Nurse at Yawhima Health Centre, Ms Yaa Asantewaa who facilitated the forums at Atronie and Antwikrom urged the school children to desist from pre-marital sex to avoid unwanted pregnancy that might lead to unsafe abortion and rather focus on their education.

She reiterated that abstinence was the best for young people, but in case they cannot abstain from sex, as young people they must always protect themselves with condoms.

According to Ms Asantewaa, the use of concoctions to terminate abortions could be dangerous, hence pregnant girls must always seek the services of a professional health worker.

The Assemblyman for Atronie, Mr. William Boateng commended GLOMEF for the initiative to help curb unsafe abortion among young people, saying it was very timely because young people within the area drops out of school due to teenage pregnancy.

He called on GLOMEF to replicate similar programme for the entire members of the community because most parents has been contributing to the rising rate of teenage pregnancy that leads to school dropouts without living up to their responsibilities as parents.

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