BARREN WOMAN? – When Did Wombs Become Weapons

As scroll through social media, I came across videos mocking her inability to have children at first, I chuckled and dismissed the ignorance but, the more I tried the more the algorithm pushed on as if it intended trying my patience and indeed, it succeeded because the next day, I set off for fact finding just as I do always. Only then did I realize how cold-hearted some of my own gender can be. Some wounds are invisible and the only soothing method is compassion and kindness, for behind every story we smile at, there may be a soul carrying more pain than we can ever imagine.

In recent days Oheneni Adazoa, a Ghanaian radio presenter who has bravely shared her painful journey with infertility and her desire to one day hear a child from her own womb call her “mommy” has been dragged into one of the most cruel and unnecessary public attacks.

For years, both she and her husband have been open with Ghanaians about the silent tears, the prayers, the medical struggles, and the emotional weight of trying to conceive. She spoke not only as a wife who wants to make her husband proud but as a woman who dreams of ensuring her husband's legacy and family lineage leaves on.

That kind of honesty takes courage yet today, the same woman who trusted the public with her vulnerability is being mocked and attacked simply for raising a concern about food safety in our country. All she did was question reports that some vendors fry plantain chips with unsafe or inappropriate oil. That is a legitimate public health concern, it is a conversation that should protect consumers, yes, you and I, our children and the future of this nation included.

She was bold enough to raise the alarm, not for her person but for the safety of Ghanaians, the awareness of the producers and the authority in charge and perhaps the consumer protection agencies. and instead of addressing the issue, some citizens chose the lowest and most heartless path, dragging her private pain into the conversation, weaponizing her struggle to conceive as a tool for ridicule. That is not criticism! That is cruelty! That is inhuman and absolutely not Ghanaianism Shame on you! (And ooh Yes that reminds me do we have consumer protection agency in Ghana ? I just want to know ).

Undoubtedly you would agree with me that there is something disturbing about a society that punishes honesty and rewards insults. A woman speaks about food safety, and suddenly her womb becomes a topic for mockery? That is not just unfair, it is disgraceful. Adazoa did not deserve this. No woman does. We can disagree with opinions; we can debate national issues but turning a woman’s personal struggle into public entertainment crosses every line of decency.

And to think that most of those who derided her were women is even more embarrassing.
Let us be clear, this is not just unkind, it is inhumane, Infertility is not a punchline, not a moral failure and certainly not a public referendum on a woman’s worth.

Around the world, millions of women and families walk the difficult road of trying to conceive many pursue IVF with courage, hope, faith often in silence, the emotional, physical, and financial toll can be enormous. To take that private pain and use it as ammunition in a public disagreement is an act of profound cruelty. Children are a gift from God and not trophies for the fertile, nor are they rewards handed out for good behavior.

The presence or absence of children should never be used as a measure of a woman’s worth, intelligence, or her right to contribute to public discourse, a woman’s voice, insight, and perspective are not determined by her ability to bear children, wisdom is not defined by the womb, and motherhood is not the standard by which credibility should be judged. Likewise, infertility does not reduce a woman’s dignity, value, or the legitimacy of her opinions on matters that affect society.

She simply spoke about food safety, the allegations of adding robber/plastic to oil for the purpose only known to the perpetrators, this definitely have health implications and questions on cooking standards, agree or disagree with her position, but challenge her ideas with facts, not insults. If her claims were inaccurate, counter them with research, if her tone was flawed, critique it respectfully, that is how healthy societies grow through informed dialogue and not personal degradation.

Admittedly, professionalism matters and public commentary, especially on national issues, carries responsibility hence, as I encourage Adazoa and all my Gender in the public space to continue the good work, I also advice that we should always ensure our statements / works are grounded in verified facts and aligned with the laws and regulations of our country.

Absolutely nothing justifies the abuse she has endured, we must begin to question ourselves, what kind of society ridicules a woman for a medical struggle? What kind of debates shift from policy to personal pain? When did a simple disagreement become an excuse for dehumanization?

How much is the cost of Empathy? Absolutely nothing. Silence in the face of cruelty costs our humanity, she should never be ashamed of her predicament for there is no shame in longing for a child and certainly not in hope deferred, her journey is hers alone, and it deserves privacy, compassion, and respect.

Let us disagree without psychologically axing the whistle blower, correct without humiliating debate the issues raised, not the person who raises them and above all, let us remember: a woman’s worth is not measured by the children she bears, but by the character she carries.

Adazoa, my personal advice. Please continue your work, stand firm in truth, but speak with care, compassion backed with facts and never allow cruelty to silence your voice because dignity is not determined by biology, it is defined by humanity.

Asomdwe Nka- Wo

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