Woman jailed for attempted abortion

Asamankese, (E/R), July 9, GNA - A 34-year-old farmer, Afua Amponsah, who attempted to commit illegal abortion by inserting herbs into a three-month old pregnant woman's genital organs, has been sentenced to four years' imprisonment in hard labour by the Asamankese Circuit Court.

She pleaded guilty, while the court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of her accomplice, one Kwabena Nkansah, now at large. Prosecuting, Police Inspector K. A. Boateng told the court, presided over by Mr S. S. Appiah, that Nkansah who put the victim, Dora Boatemaa, in the family way sought the assistance of Amponsah to terminate the pregnancy. He said on April 16, this year, Amponsah invited Boatemaa and inserted some herbs into her genital organ to ostensibly induce the abortion.

However, on April 20, Boatemaa, who became weak was rushed by her parents to the Kyebi Government Hospital where upon examination, the Doctor detected that Boatemaa was three months pregnant but had inserted some herbs into her private part to abort the pregnancy.

The Prosecutor said a report was therefore, made to the police and during interrogation, she disclosed that it was Amponsah who inserted the herbs, in an attempt to abort the pregnancy. Amponsah, he said, was accordingly arrested and during investigations she admitted the offence but explained that she did so at the request of Nkansah.

When sentenced was handed down, Amponsah broke down weeping and saying "Oh my children, who will take care of them". Amponsah had earlier told the Court that she inserted a herb called "Otwinsuo" into the genital organ of Boatemaa. The Judge, Mr Appiah, observed that Boatemaa could not be rightly described as a complainant since she was a participant in the procurement of abortion and should have been charged as such because she was not a minor under the age of 16.

He said Amponsah had no authority to procure abortion saying, doctors are even not permitted to do so if the life of the pregnant woman was not in danger and described the administration of herbal concoction to terminate abortion as a dangerous practice, which could destroy the uterus and kill a person.