[ 2014-09-16 ]

Consultant calls for action against unsafe abortion
Prampram, Sept 15, GNA - A midwife Consultant, Mrs
Josephine Addy, has called for an affirmative
action against abortion-related mortality, which
has claimed many lives.
She said abortion related maternal mortality is
one of the biggest neglected tragedies, which has
47,000 related deaths due to unsafe abortion, left
five million women with disabilities and rendered
220,000 children motherless world -wide.

Mrs Addy of Ipas Ghana an NGO, made the call at a
day’s workshop on “Unsafe Abortion and its
Contributions to Maternal Morbidity and Mortality
for senior editors and health journalists.

The workshop, organized by Ipas Ghana for the
Media Action Team for Reproduction Health
(MAT-RH), served as a platform for the media to be
updated on new information on how women could be
educated on unsafe abortion.

It also equipped participants with right
information to enable them articulate the legal
indications for abortion and key elements of the
reproductive health policy as well as
Comprehensive Abortion Care standards and
protocols in the country.

Mrs Addy explained that young women under the age
of 20 years, constituted 70 per cent of all
hospitalizations from unsafe abortion
complications.

She noted that more than 14 million young women
give birth each year and experienced pregnancy and
childbirth related complications, leading to
causes of death for the women aged between 15-19
years old.

She explained that 4.2 million unsafe abortions
were carried out across Africa each year,
resulting in 90 women dying daily which were more
than 30,000 women every year.

“Unfortunately, women who want to terminate
pregnancies used many unsafe methods, including
inserting objects into themselves, drinking
poisonous substances, douching with caustic or
poisonous substances and inflicting physical
abuse. Women resort to these methods due to the
attitudes of some health professionals, financial
constraints, ignorance, legalities and moral
reasons, amongst others”.

Mrs Addy attributed some of these unfortunate
incidents to the restrictive abortion laws and
policies, lack of accessible and affordable safe
services, stigma and poor attitudes of health care
providers.

She said women were not dying because of diseases
that could not be treated, adding, “they are
dying because societies have yet to make the
decision that their lives are worth saving”.

Dr Koma Jehu Appiah, Country Director of Ipas
noted that women were dying needlessly due to
unsafe abortion and urged journalists to highlight
more on women’s welfare and their health
issues.

“Women in Ghana need more visibility and though
the numbers of abortion are dwindling, more
children are now engaging in abortion unsafely,”
he added.

Source - GNA

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