Commemoration of World Contraception Day
More than one million people who wish to adopt family planning methods in the country are unable to do so due to inadequate information, services and commodities, UNFPA Ghana, has said.
As a result, teenage or adolescent pregnancies are still a phenomenon in some regions in the country.
It has, therefore, stressed the need to strengthen youth-friendly services within public health facilities to make family planning available and accessible to all who need it.
This was contained in a statement issued in Accra by the UNFPA Representative in Ghana, Dr Wilfred Ochan, ahead of the commemoration of World Contraception Day in Accra yesterday.
Event
September 26 each year has been designated World Contraception Day to bring focus to the rights of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly and without coercion, on the timing, number and spacing of children.
The event also aims at improving awareness of contraceptive methods available to enable citizens make informed and voluntary choices of their family planning needs.
The theme for this year's celebration is: "The power of options."
Beliefs
The statement further said that some social and cultural beliefs and norms discouragegd people, especially women and girls, from using contraception.
Other challenges include poverty which it said exposed the stark economic inequalities across the world.
It said such situations had implications for couples attempting to start families.
Benefits of contraception
The statement said family planning allowed women to choose when and how to have children which could help improve their health and well-being.
It added that with family planning, women could focus on their education and careers without having to worry about unplanned pregnancies.
It would also lead to economic opportunities and improved social status for women that could bridge the gender gap in education, employment and financial inclusion.
"Closely connected to the aforementioned, family planning can lead to a reduction in poverty levels by allowing women to delay childbirth and invest in their education and careers.
“It can also lead to increased household incomes and a better quality of life for all family members," it said.
The statement added that the use of contraception was to guard against contracting sexually transmitted infections such as HIV.
Family planning use can also reduce maternal deaths by up to 33 per cent when all those with unmet needs are provided with contraceptives of their choice.
"The benefits of family planning are clear.
By increasing access to and use of contraception, we can improve the lives of women and girls in the country and also help build a healthier and more prosperous future for all.
“As we mark World Contraception Day 2023, I urge all to join us in working to ensure that every woman and girl in the country, who, based on informed consent and voluntarily choose to use family planning method have the right to access and use it," it said.