Thinking of abortion?
In the past, it was a taboo to have premarital sex.Today, however, premarital sex has become a cheap commodity for pleasure for many people. Today, we hear of primary school girls who have boyfriends and are sexually active.
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This year in six months, 300 girls between ages 10 and 12 in a district in the Brong Ahafo Region got pregnant. Again, between 2009 and 2012, 75,000 Ghanaian girls between ages 19 and 24 became pregnant.
When pregnancy comes in, many face two options; keep it or get rid of it. Abortion has become a popular choice in Ghana and elsewhere.
In the United States, one in two women opts for abortion once in her life. It is also believed that each day, there are about 3,000 surgical abortions in the United States.
Why abortion
A student gets pregnant. She wants to continue her school and she also knows her parents will kill her if they get to know. In some cases, when the parents get to know, they force their daughters to abort the pregnancy because it will bring shame to the family.
Some women are unmarried and poor. They can’t support themselves much less a baby. In some cases, the man denies responsibility and forces the woman to get rid of the pregnancy.
There are also cases when the woman is in multiple relationships and can’t tell who is responsible for the pregnancy.
Imagine the case of a woman in the United States who had twins – a black boy and a white girl. Obviously, she slept with two men within a short time.
Some women get pregnant when they are raped by pastors, family members, close friends and unknown assailants.
They find it convenient to go for abortion because many Ghanaian men avoid women who have children outside marriage. Such women are called ‘born one’ or ‘pulling a trailer’
Today, abortion is almost legalised. A woman who claims she is emotionally incapable of keeping a pregnancy or when the pregnancy is life threatening has the legal right to abortion. Abortion done with professional care is a simple and safe medical procedure.
The danger of abortion
Abortion in Ghana is normally performed by surgery, pill and traditional method of taking all sorts of herbal concoctions. In all cases, abortion causes disruption of hormonal changes which accompany pregnancy.
This may lead to immediate or long-term problems such as severe abdominal and back pain, cervical lacerations, plancentic previa, infections, ectopic pregnancies, endometritis, pelvic inflammatory diseases ( PID), infertility, lower general health and even death.
Thinking of abortion?
The fertilised egg develops into a baby. No matter your condition, give your fertilised egg the chance to live. Abortion has never been the solution but the problem because it affects you mentally, physically and spiritually.
No doubt studies show 94 per cent of women who abort their pregnancies regret their action. Women who come in for counselling and decide to keep their pregnancies are happier than those who don’t.
The Catholic Church teaches that sex is a gift of God that comes with dual purpose - pleasure and possibility of pregnancy. You don’t pick and choose.
Human life must be protected and nurtured from the moment of conception because the embryo is a living person. No doubt Pope Francis refers to abortion as a ‘crime and absolutely evil’.
If you are thinking of abortion the advice is simple; don’t,