More education needed to increase contraception use, prevent unsafe abortion deaths

Abortion remains a taboo subject in Ghana and is not openly discussed even though for every 10 women one woman dies from unsafe abortion.

The figures make it the second leading cause of maternal mortality. It is one of the reasons why IPAS, an international NGO, continues to campaign for easier access to safe abortion services across Africa.

IPAS's Vice President, Dr. Eunice Brookman-Amissah, is a former Minister of Health (1996-98) and a former Ghana Ambassador to the Netherlands. She has been speaking with Joy News' Dzifa Bampoh at the International Conference on Family Planning in Dakar Senegal and says “abortion is a sensitive issue all the world over even in countries where it is legal, the debate continues and it will continue till the cows come home ... but in those countries women have access and that is what we want in Africa.”

There are still too many instances of unsafe abortion in Ghana and worse still, many girls and women are dying from unsafe abortion. This is because many women are not using contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

Dr. Brookman-Amissah said “they have the right to have a service that they are entitled to. The policy of the Ministry of Health is to have safe contraceptive services .. .the logistics of it is something we have to look at ...”

IPAS has indicated it is dissatisfied with the high maternal deaths from unsafe abortion in Africa and is urging African leaders and governments to implement measures to reduce the trend.