Ghana – Adolescents in 5 regions in Ghana lack Sexual Reproductive Health services – Study

February 21, 2025
By ⁠Kingsley Adusei Amakye

A study has revealed that adolescents across five regions of Ghana are cut off from assessing Sexual Reproductive Health services in various health facilities.

CAMFED Ghana, which carried out the studies, wants Ghana Education Service (GES) to introduce comprehensive and age-appropriate Sexual Reproductive Health education into the national curriculum.

The initiative is to enhance Sexual and Reproductive Health education and services for adolescents in rural Ghana. The recommendations follow a CAMFED study that analyzed Sexual Reproductive Health services in the five regions where there is a high rate of child marriage, teenage pregnancy as well as Sexually transmitted diseases.

Continued: https://3news.com/health/adolescents-in-5-regions-in-ghana-lack-sexual-reproductive-health-services-study/#google_vignette

21.02.2025

News

CAMFED Ghana

Fairuza Abdul-Rashid Safian

Ghana Education Service

sexual and reproductive health services

Right wing policies threaten gender equality and health security

Young people call for all sexual and reproductive health services including safe abortion rights

SHOBHA SHUKLA – CNS
08 Feb 2025

Donald Trump’s presidency is likely to have far-reaching consequences for sexual and reproductive health, bodily autonomy and human rights worldwide. He has already withdrawn USA’s financial support to the UN health agency World Health Organization (WHO), and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will no longer share its invaluable expertise with the WHO.

Also all ongoing (as well as future) projects funded by US Agency for International Development (USAID) have been put on immediate hold. Many of these are lifesaving health programmes, including those directly related to sexual and reproductive health services.

Continued: https://kashmirtimes.com/opinion/comment-articles/right-wing-policies-threaten-gender-equality-and-health-security

USA – State Policy Trends 2024: Anti-Abortion Policymakers Redouble Attacks on Bodily Autonomy

Dec 16, 2024
Kimya Forouzan, Isabel Guarnieri, Mollie Fairbanks, Talia Curhan, Guttmacher Institute

In 2024, the US sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) landscape remained deeply fragmented. Many states enacted policies to expand access to sexual and reproductive health services, including state constitutional protections for abortion that passed by ballot initiative in seven states. But other states started or continued enforcing draconian abortion bans and other restrictions that limit people’s bodily autonomy and aim to instill fear around seeking abortion care.

With an incoming Trump-Vance administration in 2025, this divide between protective and restrictive states may widen: Protective states may find innovative ways to support sexual and reproductive health care and rights, while restrictive states may double down, emboldened by a hostile administration. Moreover, new federal policies, such as additional restrictions on medication abortion pills or even a national abortion ban, could impact everyone, regardless of what state they live in.

Continued: https://www.guttmacher.org/2024/12/state-policy-trends-2024-anti-abortion-policymakers-redouble-attacks-bodily-autonomy

16.12.2024

Research

Guttmacher Institute

sexual and reproductive health services

Argentina’s Abortion Law Three Years Later

The country's abortion law has reduced fertility rates and preventable deaths among girls ages 10 to 14

By Maria Emilia Pianesi
December 4, 2024

Each year, comprehensive abortion care could save the lives of up to nearly 39,000 women and prevent related health complications for 5 million women worldwide. A multicountry survey on the implementation of comprehensive abortion policies in Latin America and the Caribbean found that safe abortions and quality post-abortion care in the region is limited by some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world. As a result, the issue remains a major health and policy challenge in the region.

In this context, Argentina has taken a historic step for sexual and reproductive health and rights by legalizing abortion. Law 27.610, Access to Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy and Post-Abortion Care, has been enforced since January 2021. It allows anyone to request an abortion before 14 weeks of pregnancy and entails no time limit in cases of sexual assault or when the life of the applicant is in danger.

Continued: https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/argentinas-abortion-law-three-years-later

Uganda – Local NGO comes to rescue of sex workers living on Lake Victoria landing sites

PML Daily
January 20, 2024

ENTEBBE – Reports of injuries and illnesses resulting from unsafe abortion complications among sex workers living on Lake Victoria landing sites are unacceptably high, placing a huge healthcare burden not only on individual patients and their families but also on the national healthcare system, which is already burdened with other morbidities.

On a sadder note, many of those who suffer these complications lose lives because they cannot afford or quickly access Post Abortion Care (PAC) depending on where they are offered.

Continued: https://www.pmldaily.com/news/2024/01/local-ngo-comes-to-rescue-of-sex-workers-living-on-lake-victoria-landing-sites.html

Malawi – Youth facing challenges in accessing sexual and reproductive health services

Oct 25, 2023
Mike Kalumbi

Young people in the country are still facing challenges in accessing sexual reproductive health services and this is putting them at high risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections including HIV and unplanned and early pregnancies with negative consequences such as dropping out of school and unsafe abortion.

This was revealed during a youth open day organised by Banja la Mtsogolo which took place yesterday in Lilongwe at Unicef Ground, Chinsapo.

Continued: https://malawi24.com/2023/10/25/youth-facing-challenges-in-accessing-sexual-reproductive-health-services/

25.10.2023

News

Iheard project

Queen Kimmy Mwandira

sexual and reproductive health services

Tusekele Mwakasungula

Kenya – Meet the rural champions helping women combat unsafe abortion

By Nathan Ochunge
Oct. 23, 2023

Angela (real name withheld) got married at 19 after sitting her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination in Navakholo, Kakamega County.

A few months later, her husband secured a job in Nairobi, and for five years he never returned home. “I became lonely and got another man who impregnated me after six months of dating,” said Angela.

For the sake of her marriage, Angela sought the services of an elderly midwife to terminate the two-month pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/health/reproductive-health/article/2001483907/meet-the-rural-champions-helping-women-combat-unsafe-abortion

Canada – How pro-life bias is limiting reproductive healthcare access in rural Ontario

Right-to-life groups are increasing stigma and barriers to preventing and eliminating pregnancies

By Mary Baxter
August 2, 2023

After the condom broke, Amanda’s* boyfriend hurried to the drugstore to get the morning-after pill. Anxiety eddied as Amanda waited for him to return. The teenage couple had experienced pregnancy scares before but had never resorted to emergency contraception. A baby couldn’t be in the picture yet, Amanda knew.

In 2018, Amanda was 19 years old. The teen from Chatham-Kent, a rural municipality in southwestern Ontario, had dropped out of high school in Grade 11. They struggled with mental health and lived with their parents. They were unemployed. Their boyfriend, the same age, hit them.

Continued: https://broadview.org/abortion-access-rural/

02.08.2023

Commentary

Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada

abortion stigma

access to abortion

Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

anti-choice bias

anti-choice deception

anti-choice lies

anti-choice misinformation

anti-choice stigma

April Rietdyk

B.J. Kivell

British Columbia Humanist Association

Carolyn Martin

Chatham-Kent Public Health

Christine Button

emergency contraception

Frédérique Chabot

Jen Belcher

Joyce Arthur

Lambton Public Health

Ontario Medical Association

Ontario Pharmacists Association

Refuge CPC

Right to Life Kent

sexual and reproductive health services

Sheila dunn

Shore Centre

TK Pritchard

Women’s College Hospital

Nigeria – Breaking barriers to sexual and reproductive health services for women, girls

By MOSES EMORINKEN
On Dec 23, 2021

Young, naive, and brilliant are a few words to describe Funke. The thirteen-year-old indigent student, always worked hard to support her single mother. This was the only way her mother, who worked as a cleaner at a nearby facility could pay for her tuition fees, books, and other important learning materials.

Suddenly, luck smiled at Funke when a private school in the outskirts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, shortlisted her for a full-time scholarship for her senior secondary education.

Continued: https://thenationonlineng.net/breaking-barriers-to-sexual-and-reproductive-health-services-for-women-girls/

Ghana – Indigenous Women Empowerment Network advocates improved contraceptive services to prevent unsafe abortion

Nestor Kafui Adjomah
29 September 2021

The Indigenous Women Empowerment Network (IWEN), a health-centered organisation has been advocating a wider range of improved contraceptives and high-quality counseling services to prevent unintended pregnancies that could result in unsafe abortions.

According to the Executive Secretary of IWEN, Celestina Andoh, most young women in Ghana face difficulties in accessing sexual and reproductive health services whilst many others are not using contraceptive despite wanting to avoid pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.myjoyonline.com/indigenous-women-empowerment-network-advocates-improved-contraceptive-services-to-prevent-unsafe-abortion/