Guttmacher Institute Releases Two New Reports from African Region

This past week the New York-based Guttmacher Institute has released two new reports - one documenting the benefits of increased investment in family planning in Ethiopia and another on how lack of awareness of abortion law is a barrier to better health in Ghana.

Low levels of contraceptive use in Ethiopia result in high levels of unintended pregnancy which, in turn, create a broad range of negative consequences for women, their families and the national health care system.The first new report, "Benefits of Meeting the Contraceptive Needs of Ethiopian Women," was released by the Guttmacher Institute and the Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ESOG), documents the considerable financial and health benefits that would accrue from increased investment in contraceptive services.

"Abortion in Ghana," the second report released this week by the New York-based Guttmacher Institute brings together data from various studies, including the 2007 Ghana Maternal Health Survey (GMHS), to present what is known about abortion in Ghana, including information on incidence, abortion providers and the procedures they use, and the characteristics of women having abortions. It found that unsafe abortion is a major cause of maternal death in Ghana. A major factor contributing to unsafe abortion in Ghana is that only 4% of women surveyed in 2007 were aware that abortion is legal under fairly broad grounds. Unaware that they can legally obtain a safe abortion procedure, many women turn to unsafe providers. Women also face other barriers to accessing safe abortion services, including high cost, a limited number of qualified abortion providers and concerns about social stigma.

For more information on either report, please visit guttmacher.org