Guttmacher Research Institute creates awareness about unsafe abortion

Cape Coast, Feb. 8, GNA - In spite of the fairly liberal abortion law in Ghana, unsafe abortion remains the second most common cause of maternal mortality in the country.

It is estimated that maternal mortality accounts for approximately 11 per cent of maternal deaths in the country.

This was contained in a survey conducted by the Guttmacher Institute, a research institute based in the United States and a report issued to the Ghana News Agency in Cape Coast on Thursday.

According to the survey, almost 45 per cent of abortions in Ghana remain unsafe and therefore advocate the need for the Ghana Health Services and the Ministry of Health to establish protocol for the provision of safe abortions services.

The survey noted that the law in Ghana permits abortion in cases of rape, incest, defilement of female idiots, if the life or health of women are in danger or if there is risk of foetal abnormality, but that a mere three per cent of pregnant women and only six per cent of those seeking an abortion were aware of the legal status of abortion.

The same study revealed that at least 15 induced abortions were carried out for every 1,000 women of reproductive age of 14 to 44 and that it was suspected that because abortion is heavily stigmatized in Ghana, the actual incidence of the procedure was very likely to be underreported in face to face interviews.

It also stated that the reasons most Ghanaian women carry out abortion include financially unable to cater for a child, the need to delay child bearing in order to continue schooling or work, as well as wanting to space or limit the number of children they have.

To help reduce the number of unsafe abortions in the country, the Guttmacher Institute recommends that the coverage and quality of post abortion care should be improved to reduce maternal deaths and complications from unsafe abortions.

The Institute also called for increase in the role of trained midwives in providing abortion services, particularly in remote and rural areas where there are relatively few health care providers.

Mr. Michael Tagoe, Project Officer of PPAG Cape Coast, called on women to patronise the programmes and activities of the Association, especially the comprehensive ones on family planning and abortion care.

This, he said, could go a long way to help women prevent unwanted pregnancies as well as unsafe abortions.

Mrs. Joana Nerquaye-Tetteh, Reproductive Biologist and Consultant with Guttmacher, said about 37 per cent of births in the country were unplanned, 27 per cent mistimed, while 14 per cent were unwanted pregnancies.

GNA