Activity Post- Week 4

Ghanaian law states that an abortion is legal if performed by a medical professional and, “the pregnancy is the result of rape, defilement of a female idiot, or incest; when continuation of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman or injury to her physical or mental health; or where there is substantial risk that if the pregnancy were carried to term the child would suffer from or later develop a serious physical abnormality or disease,” (H.M. Schwandt et al., 2013). However, words on paper have yet to translate to reality. Still, unsafe abortions are the second major cause of maternal death in Ghana, (H.M. Schwandt et al., 2013). Why the discrepancy? Why are women still in as much danger from abortions as they were before the law was passed in 1985? The answer to these questions requires an analysis from cultural, social, political, biological and religious perspectives.

There isn’t just one specific reason for why women are still undergoing unsafe abortions, or why 11% of maternal deaths are due to abortion-related complications (H.M. Schwandt et al., 2013). In fact, research conducted by BMC Women’s Health found seven major factors that contributed to this phenomenon; lack of knowledge of services, socio-economic conditions, abortion perceived as taboo, stigma of unplanned pregnancy, a desire to bare children only after marriage, avoiding parental disappointment, and desire to pursue education (Atakro et al., 2019). Many women, 96%, are unaware of the new law making abortion legal, and even half of medical providers (H.M. Schwandt et al., 2013). Not to mention, health care facilities that offer proper abortion services are far and few between.

Choosing to pursue discrete, yet unsafe abortions, has much to do with the religious culture that dictates Ghanaian morals. Pre-marital pregnancy and abortion are considered sins to those of the Christian and Muslim faith. So in order to avoid shunning, embarrassment or disappointment by their religious community, women often decide to undergo black market abortions to keep their secret. It is also important to note the role men play in this decision. Some men demand an abortion, and some deny their responsibility or role in the pregnancy. “…the male partner’s involvement may also be indirect, by denying responsibility for the pregnancy and leaving the woman with no support in raising the child… By denying that the pregnancy is his, the male partner is letting the woman know that he does not want to take social and financial responsibility for the woman or the unborn child,” (H.M. Schwandt et al., 2013).  But even if abortions were not considered taboo, the financial burden of having a safe one, is still prominent. The fact is, it’s just cheaper to have an unsafe abortion.

So what are the consequences to a woman’s health after undergoing a risky abortion? Under the right conditions, with a trained and qualified professional, abortions are generally a very low risk procedure. But if that component is lacking, major health complications can arise. If the woman survives, there can still be issues with bleeding, severe pain, fever, discharge, or perforation (Guttmacher Institute, 2010). A local newspaper, Modern Ghana, recently reported a 14-year-old girl that collapsed due to complications from an unsafe abortion. The girl was raped by her 19-year-old teacher, who then “…persuaded the victim to take some medicine to terminate the pregnancy, but it was unsuccessful…He said the victim however, kept on bleeding three days after she underwent the abortion and was rushed to the Tema General Hospital…” (Modern Ghana, 2019).

References

Atakro, C. A., Addo, S. B., Aboagye, J. S., Menlah, A., Garti, I., Amoa-Gyarteng, K. G., . . . Boni, G. S. (2019). Contributing factors to unsafe abortion practices among women of reproductive age at selected district hospitals in the Ashanti region of Ghana. BMC Womens Health, 19(1).

Guttmacher Institute. (2010, July). Abortion in Ghana. Retrieved from https://www.guttmacher.org/report/abortion-ghana

Modern Ghana. (2019, July 25). Girl Collapses After Illegal Abortion. Retrieved from https://www.modernghana.com/news/947104/girl-collapses-after-illegal-abortion.html

Schwandt, H. M., Creanga, A. A., Adanu, R. M., Danso, K. A., Agbenyega, T., & Hindin, M. J. (2013). Pathways to unsafe abortion in Ghana: The role of male partners, women and health care providers. Contraception, 88(4), 509-517.

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