Make Abortion Accessible To All- IPAS

The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) of Ipas Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) committed to promoting sexual and reproductive health rights of women and youth, has called on the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to make abortion accessible to every woman particularly girls who do not desire to keep an “unwanted” pregnancy.

Mr Philip Duah, Communications and Advocacy Chairman of Ipas Ghana—YAB, who made the call at a Press briefing in Accra, last Friday, said,making abortion accessible would exterminatethe stigma attached to it and make young women opt for safe abortions at recognised and approved health facilities.

“Not making safe abortion accessible is a form of social injustice to girls and women…as a fundamental human right, all women should have access to reproductive health and family planning service, including safe abortion services,” he said.

Make CAC Attractive to Youths

Ipas has also advocated the need to make the GHS Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC) welcoming and less expensive so that young women can easily receiveimportant information on reproductive health and family planning services including safe abortion to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

According to Mr Duah, abortion in some facilities cost as much as GHȻ500 to GHȻ1000—a price most youngsters cannot afford.

He therefore askedthat abortion cost be covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), to make it affordable to all to help save lives of the youth.

“Let the health insurance absorb some of the CAC service so that the person can easily walk in with a small amount and be provided with the service instead of performing illegal abortion at home or at a back-street clinic,” Mr Duah suggested.

Ipas has also recommended increase access to family planning services for all.

Abortion in Ghana

Under the laws of Ghana, certain conditions like rape, incest, mental illness, minor pregnancy or health complications that could endanger the life of the mother and baby, allow a woman or a girl to undergo abortion by a well-trained health providers in most government facilities.

Source: thepublisher/Grace Ablewor Sogbey