HER BODY, HER CHOICES, HER FUTURE!

“She is crazy”, “bitter”, “resentful”, “vengeful”, “just another female with an ax to grind”. These words/phrases are designed for a purpose: to silence the woman. We do notoften hear men being labeled with these adjectives when they speak out, rather they are lauded for speaking up and telling their stories. When they loudly confront and call out injustice as they see it, they are praised, “how brave”, we say. We expect anger in men, yet women are expected to smile in the face of their own destruction. Why? What is so different about a woman speaking up that makes you shut them up.

When women find themselves as victims of any kind of abuse,the possibility of being victimized all over again should they dare to speak up is a strong deterrent to saying anything at all. This in itself is a cause to silence such victims especially girls. Some Women and girls find themselves in cultures and religions that manipulates them into thinking they are undeserving of their voices and therefore should be silent. They are told to submerge their feelings and be quiet in the face of adversity. These fundamentals are embodied at a tender age so much so that it impacts negatively throughout a woman’s life course; particularly relationships, affecting their ability to make informed choices. 

Most women and girls, due to stigma and fear of victimization,engage in unsafe practices which sometimes has adverse implications including an eventual death; one of such is unsafe abortion. Unsafe abortion is one of the most leading causes of death among women and girls worldwide of which our nation is no exception.

According to World health organization (WHO), Seven million women and girls are injured or disabled due to unsafe abortions, out of this, twenty two thousand die as a result of unsafe abortion every year. These are just recorded cases, what about unrecorded ones? These are daily happenings that could be adverted if the voices of women and girls are not silenced, if they are empowered with accurate information to make informed choices

The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) of Marie Stopes Ghana, therefore, has taken on the mandate to advocate for government to invest in the Reproductive health of Womenand girls, and empower young people with information. It is in the interest of national development to have an empowered population of young people, especially girls, who can achieve their aspirations and contribute positively to national growth.

The ability to access and choose contraception/safe abortion, when need be, is crucial to ensuring a woman can decide for herself, when and with whom to start or grow a family. It is even more crucial to a girl’s ability to attain higher education and achieve her aspiration. When these are denied, the national aspiration to achieve zero poverty, universal healthcare and gender equality is threatened. Gender equality, especially, can never be achieved if women and girls are denied the basic right to make decisions about their own bodies, reproductive health and life. An equal world is an enabled world.

Credits: Esther Ashiagbor – Youth Advisory Board Member