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The Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) has urged the media to exhibit professionalism when reporting on issues related to reproductive health and abortion.

According to them, such issues, especially abortion, should be detached from religious and moral grounds and addressed as a human rights topic so as to get a clear measure for it.

This was made known at a day’s values clarification workshop on comprehensive sexuality education and comprehensive safe abortion for selected health journalists, organised by PPAG.

On comprehensive safe abortion, a programmes advisor from Ipas, Selorme Azumah explained that there are laws governing safe abortion; therefore persons who decide to have abortion should not be chastised.

He said when abortion is performed under certain circumstances, it is not a crime and not covered under Ghana’s criminal law, therefore anyone who performs or assists to perform an abortion under the circumstances listed in the law will be acting legally within the parameters of the law.

He stated that some legal indications for abortion, according to the Ghana Abortion Law, was when the pregnancy was a risk to life or injury to physical or mental health of the woman or the pregnancy came about through rape, incest, defilement of female idiot (mentally challenged woman), and when there is substantial risk that the foetus has or will have serious abnormality or disease.
He added that abortion could be performed at government or private hospitals, a clinic registered under the Private Hospital and Maternity Homes Act, 1958 (No. 9) or a place approved by the Ministry of Health by a Legislative Instrument (e.g. PPAG, Marie Stopes clinics).

He again said abortion could be performed by a registered medical practitioner specialising in gynaecology or any other registered medical practitioner.

Azumah noted that the subject of induced abortion generates many conflicts of opinion based on religious and other beliefs, adding that though individuals have the right to their own beliefs and moral perspectives on abortion, their personal beliefs should not hinder access to care for others.

On comprehensive reproductive health education, Ishmael Selassie from PPAG said major challenges faced in the area was the negative tone, and proposed an approach to teaching, as well as challenge with age-appropriateness of the topics introduced.

He said for a comprehensive reproductive health education to be successful, there is the need to have respect for human rights and diversity, with sexuality education affirmed as a right.

He said one must also adopt critical thinking skills, promotion of young people’s participation in decision-making and strengthening of their capacities for citizenship while fostering of norms and attitudes that promote gender equality and inclusion.

Participants agreed that there was the need to engage more stakeholders, like religious leaders, schools and other organisations, to embark on a sensitisation drive to promote comprehensive safe abortion and comprehensive reproductive health education while having periodic media consultations.