Former Presidential Advisor on HIV and AIDS and Reproductive Health issues on Friday observed that family planning is the number one preventive measure to the high incidence of maternal mortality and safe abortions.

Professor Fred Torgbor Sai, said when family planning services are embraced, accepted and given free of charge to women, they would not get pregnant and go in for unsafe abortions, which kills most of them.

Prof. Sai made the observation at the launch of “Safe Us” newsletter, a quarterly news journal which had been put together by the Media Action Team for Reproductive Health (MAT-RH), made up of core journalists from selected media houses to promote reproductive health issues.

He lauded MAT-RH for the newsletter which carries mainly publications and features on reproductive health issues and said family planning issues, should be adopted and pushed by politicians who should also ensure that women access family planning free of charge.

Prof. Sai said it was sad that despite the pain women go through in pregnancy and child birth, society tends to do little to help the situation thereby making most of the women die through child birth.

The situation was also compounded by irresponsible men who neglect their responsibilities towards their wives and children and leave the burden solely on the women to carry alone.

He therefore called on the public to help create a society that would lessen the burdens of women as well as respect and adore them, particularly as the world celebrate Mothers Day on Sunday May 13.

Mr Kabral Blay Amihere, Chairman of the National Media Commission used the occasion to pay tribute to women, stressing the need for the society to recognise the roles and given their due respect.

He said the media should not only inform society of reproductive health issues but should also establish a platform to well discuss the issues affecting women and their general well being since women play pivotal roles in the society.

Ms Rosemary Ardayfio, Convener of MAT-RH said IPAS, an NGO which aims at protecting women’s health and reproductive rights, collaborated with the Media Action Team to launch the newsletter to disseminate messages on reproductive health, particularly, unsafe abortion to the public, service providers and policy makers in order to enhance reproductive health services.

She said because of other competing priorities of various media houses, journalists are limited on how much information they could publish or broadcast, so the group decided to come out with “our own newsletter with information targeted at the specific segment of the society.

“Our mission is to circulate information and provide positive platforms regarding issues that support the enabling environment, availability and sustainability of safe, legal abortions and related reproductive health services in Ghana” .

MAT-RH used the occasion to celebrate and proposed a toast to Ghanaian women to commemorate mothers’ day and wished them good health and happiness.

The ceremony was attended by the Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Okraku 11, and some queen mothers, Members of Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, the security services and health care givers and experts.**