Use of concoction for abortion high among girls

The Chronicle has gathered that most girls at the basic school level at Atronie, Antwikrom and Atuahenekrom in the Sunyani Municipality prefer the use of various concoctions to terminate pregnancies, rather than attending health facilities to have safe abortions.

In an interview with some of the girls, aged between 13 to 19, after an in-school sensitisation forum on Access to Safe Abortion and Contraceptive usage among Young People, it was disclosed that they prefer the use of concoctions to terminate pregnancies than attending a health facility because the latter always deceives them.

The beneficiary schools included Atronie Methodist Primary and JHS, Atronie St. Paul’s R/C Primary JHS, Atuahenekrom M/A Primary and Junior High School (JHS) and Antwikrom Primary and JHS.

The girls disclosed that the practitioners would rather put the embryo or foetus at a more conducive or proper place in the womb, with the deceit that the pregnancy has been terminated successfully, but a few months later, the pregnancy grows, giving the girls the option to deliver or resort to the use of concoctions.

According to the girls, who pleaded anonymity, they shun attending health facilities to access safe abortion services due to deceit on the part of health workers, which some of the girls confessed as being victims to such situations.

However, some of the concoctions or solutions, they disclosed, as efficacy for terminating pregnancies, were awful, which includes, a mixture of ash and salt with water, a mixture of Malt and Nescafe, a mixture of Hacks with Coca-Cola, a solution of grinded bottles, and Akpeteshie with sugar among others.

Some of the girls admitted it was dangerous using the concoctions, but it was cheaper and easy to come by when the need arises, adding that though some girls have lost their lives out of the use of concoctions, whilst other have lost their womb, they still have no option but to still use it.

A nurse at the Yawhima Health Centre, Ms Yaa Asantewaa, entreated the pupils to desist from pre-marital sex and focus on their education to avoid unwanted teenage pregnancy that might lead to unsafe abortions.

She reiterated that abstinence was the best way for young people, but in case they cannot abstain from sex, as young people, they must always protect themselves with condoms.

According to Ms Asantewaa, the use of concoctions to terminate abortions could be dangerous, hence, pregnant girls must always seek the services of a professional health worker to undergo safe abortions.

She advised young girls to eschew begging for gifts from elderly men in order not to be trapped into having pre-marital sex that could lead to unwanted pregnancy, hence unsafe abortions that have the tendency to ruin their future.

The forum was organised by the Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF), with support from the Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF).

The Assembly Member for Atronie, Mr. William Boateng, commended GLOMEF for the initiative to help curb unsafe abortions among young people, saying it was very timely, because young people in the area usually drop out of school due to teenage pregnancy.

He called on GLOMEF to replicate similar programmes for the entire members of the community, because most parents have been contributing to the rising rate of teenage pregnancy leading to school dropouts, without living up to their responsibilities as parents.