According to a newly released model of global estimates for pregnancies and abortions, Ghana had 266,000 abortions in four years.
The Guttmacher Institute, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations’ Human Reproduction Programme (HRP) released the first-ever model-based estimates of unintended pregnancy and abortion rates for 150 countries, highlighting significant disparities in access to sexual and reproductive health care.
The study examines rates from 2015 to 2019 in order to have a better understanding of global access to sexual and reproductive health care in nations of all income levels.
Between 1990-1994 and 2015-2019, the unwanted pregnancy rate in Ghana decreased 14%, while the abortion rate jumped 35%, according to the report.
According to the report, pregnancy outcomes in Ghana totaled 1.33 million per year from 2015 to 2019, with 741,000 being unplanned and 266,000 ending in abortion, which is legal only to protect the pregnant woman’s health.
“To design truly inclusive and equitable sexual and reproductive health policies, we need to understand what is happening at a country level,” said Dr. Herminia Palacio, President and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute.
“Having current and reliable data on hand will not only aid in identifying and resolving discrepancies, but will also help establish a case for more impactful spending.”
In addition to the estimates, Guttmacher, a renowned research and policy organization dedicated to improving global sexual and reproductive health, has released more thorough nation profiles to assist decision-makers.
pregnancies ending in abortion—as great as 68 percent, even among countries that completely prohibited abortion—illustrates the strength of the desire of millions of women and adolescents to avoid unplanned childbearing.”
While the estimates go a long way in increasing the quality of evidence available, there remains a pressing need for more and better data. The availability of reliable abortion data varied substantially by region, ranging from 12 percent of countries in Western Asia and Northern Africa to 73 percent of countries in Europe and Northern America.
With additional investments in country data collection, it would be possible to make estimates with greater certainty, monitor trends and possibly assess the impact of large-scale programmes in the future.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights are an essential part of universal health coverage and are required to end discrimination against women and girls. These country-level estimates highlight the importance of equitable investment in comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, and will further inform countries working to implement WHO’s new guidelines for quality abortion services.
“For good health, people in countries around the world need access to a comprehensive package of sexuality education, accurate family planning information and services, as well as quality abortion care,” said Dr. Bela Ganatra, who leads WHO’s Prevention of Unsafe Abortion unit.
“This research aims to support countries as they work to strengthen the lifesaving services they provide for sexual and reproductive health and improve health outcomes – especially for women and girls.”
Unintended pregnancy rates in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, varied from 41 to 107 per 1000 women in Latin America and 49 to 145 per 1000 women in Sub-Saharan Africa, respectively.
In Europe, for example, the majority of nations with higher unplanned pregnancy rates than the regional average are categorized as high-income, whereas the two countries with the lowest estimates are classified as middle-income.
This research demonstrates how hurdles to obtaining and using adequate sexual and reproductive healthcare remain in both resource-rich and resource-poor contexts.
“These differences highlight the need for investment, particularly in locations with low rates of unplanned pregnancies, that empowers women and girls in all countries to choose when and how they have children.”