Men’s Perception of Abortion Initiatives in Accra, Ghana

Mary Adonteng , National service
Daniel Yaw Fiaveh, University of Cape Coast

The study is an exploratory qualitative study about Ghanaian men’s perception about abortion in a suburb of Accra. Specifically, we investigated the source of knowledge of abortion messages, perception and influences of it and young men’s experiences of engaging in abortion. The perception of men about abortion was predominantly influenced by their religious beliefs as evident in the narrative of “good” versus “bad”. However, the source of this information was more pronounced from mass media and friends indicating the religious inclinations attached to the influence of the sources of information received. Also, due to the stigma that surrounds the topic of abortion, people did not speak about their abortion experiences. There has not been sufficient information available to plan reproductive health services due to the stigma attached to abortion practices despite the laws available. As a result, many abortions are not captured on the official records.