A DEEP REFLECTION ON EASTERN REGIONAL HOSPITAL'S 766 ABORTIONS WITH NO DEATHS IN 2024: A MEDICAL FEAT AND A MORAL WAKE-UP CALL
A DEEP REFLECTION ON EASTERN REGIONAL HOSPITAL'S 766 ABORTIONS WITH NO DEATHS IN 2024: A MEDICAL FEAT AND A MORAL WAKE-UP CALL By Honeybrowne Okaakyire
When the news broke on GHOne TV that the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua recorded 766 abortions with no deaths in 2024, it sparked a mix of emotions across Ghana. For some, it was a sign of progress in the field of healthcare, a demonstration of improved safety, medical professionalism, and access to reproductive health services. For others, however, it felt like a painful reminder of the rising moral and social decay silently eating into the fabric of Ghanaian society.
As someone who has spent years in the classroom teaching the next generation, this story speaks to me in many ways not only as a teacher but as a Ghanaian who has watched our cultural and moral values evolve with time. Let’s look at this development critically both through the lens of medical advancement and moral reflection.
A MEDICAL SUCCESS STORY
To begin, it is essential to recognize the medical achievement in this report. Abortion, by its very nature, carries significant risks including hemorrhage, infections, infertility, and even death. For decades, unsafe abortions have been a major contributor to maternal mortality in Ghana and across sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS), unsafe abortions accounted for up to 11% of maternal deaths in recent years. Many of these deaths occurred because women resorted to unqualified individuals, herbal concoctions, or unsafe procedures due to stigma, fear, or ignorance.
Therefore, when a hospital like the Eastern Regional Hospital can perform 766 abortions without a single recorded death, it signals a major improvement in medical safety and access to professional reproductive care. It tells us that:
The facility likely follows proper medical protocols.
There is improved patient monitoring and post-procedure care.
Women are increasingly seeking help through the right medical channels instead of risky illegal means.
This level of care should be commended. It suggests that the health sector, at least in that region, is getting something right. It also indicates that the hospital is not hiding or stigmatizing abortion but rather managing it safely, openly, and professionally.
UNDERSTANDING GHANA'S ABORTION LAW Abortion in Ghana is not entirely illegal, though it is restricted. Under the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), Section 58, abortion is permitted under specific conditions:
1. When the pregnancy is a result of rape, defilement, or incest.
2. When continuation of the pregnancy poses a risk to the life or physical or mental health of the mother.
3. When there is a substantial risk that the child, if born, would suffer from a serious abnormality or disease.
Beyond these conditions, abortion remains a criminal offense. However, the Ghana Health Service’s Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC) policy has, over the years, made it possible for health facilities to provide safe services within the framework of the law to protect the lives and health of women.
Therefore, the 766 recorded abortions might have been carried out under legal and medically justified circumstances. Still, this does not erase the moral and ethical tension that comes with it, especially in a religious country like Ghana.
A REFLECTION ON THE RISING NUMBERS
Let’s pause for a moment: 766 abortions in one year and in just one hospital!
This figure raises serious questions. If one regional hospital recorded this number, what might the statistics look like across the entire country? The Ghana Health Service’s national figures could easily run into tens of thousands.
WHAT DOES THIS TELL US ABOUT SOCIETY?
It suggests that:
Many young women possibly teenagers and young adults are getting pregnant, often unintentionally.
There may be inadequate sex education, poor communication at home, and weak moral guidance.
The social and economic pressures on young people may be forcing them to make desperate choices.
As a teacher, I’ve seen this trend firsthand. Some girls drop out due to pregnancy, while others seek unsafe abortions. The number of teenage pregnancies recorded in schools across Ghana each year is worrying. Many of these pregnancies could be avoided with proper education, guidance, and moral support.
ABORTION: THE HIDDEN FACES BEHIND THE NUMBERS
Each of the 766 abortions represents a human story, a young woman, a set of circumstances, and a difficult decision. Behind those numbers are tears, shame, fear, regret, and sometimes relief.
Some of these women are students who got involved in relationships they could not handle. Others are married women who, for one reason or another, could not keep another pregnancy. And some are victims of sexual abuse or coercion.
So while the figure looks like a simple statistic, it actually tells a deeper story about relationships, family breakdowns, lack of communication, peer pressure, and changing social values.
MORAL AND RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES
From a moral and religious viewpoint, abortion has always been a controversial issue.
Christianity, Islam, and African Traditional Religion; the three dominant faiths in Ghana generally frown upon abortion. Life, in all these religions, is considered sacred. In Christianity, for instance, Psalm 139:13-16 reminds us that God forms every child in the mother’s womb, and that life is a divine gift. Islam similarly teaches that life begins at conception, and that taking an unborn life is forbidden except in extreme cases where the mother’s life is endangered.
Traditional beliefs in Ghana also hold that unborn children have spirits connected to the ancestors. Terminating a pregnancy could therefore be seen as disrupting the natural order of life.
Yet, despite these teachings, abortions are increasing. Why? Because the reality of modern life is testing these moral boundaries. Economic hardship, career ambitions, societal pressures, and fear of stigma all play roles. Some women feel trapped between moral guilt and practical necessity.
MEDICAL SAFETY VRS MORAL SAFETY
The Eastern Regional Hospital’s success in performing 766 abortions without a death should be acknowledged but it should not be celebrated without reflection.
Yes, no woman died physically. But what about the emotional deaths that followed?
What about the silent pain, the depression, the guilt, and the social judgment?
Medical safety is not the same as moral safety. While hospitals can protect the body, only a sound moral foundation and spiritual healing can protect the soul. Many women who undergo abortions even safe ones live with deep emotional scars.
So as we celebrate the medical progress, we must not ignore the spiritual and social wounds that still need healing.
THE ROLE OF EDUCATION AND FAMILY
One of the root causes of unwanted pregnancies and by extension, abortions is ignorance. Many young people simply do not understand the consequences of unprotected sex. Others are misled by peers or influenced by social media trends that promote pleasure without responsibility.
This is where schools and parents must step in.
As a teacher, I strongly believe that sex education should not be treated as a taboo topic in Ghanaian schools. We must teach students not just about abstinence but also about responsibility, respect, and consequences. Parents must also be willing to have honest conversations with their children. Silence only pushes them to learn from the wrong sources.
Family values must be revived. Once upon a time, in traditional Ghanaian society, elders guided the youth through moral counsel and communal supervision. Today, many parents are too busy, leaving social media and friends to raise their children.
SOCIETAL CHANGE AND THE WAY FORWARD
The Ghana of today is not the Ghana of old. The rise in education, technology, and urban living has changed how people view morality and life decisions. Topics that were once unspoken are now open discussions on radio and television.
While this openness has improved awareness, it has also brought moral confusion. Some young people now see abortion as just another form of “birth control.” That is dangerous thinking.
IF GHANA MUST MOVE FORWARD AS A MORALLY CONSCIOUS NATION, WE MUST:
1. Strengthen moral and religious education in schools and homes.
2. Provide counselling for young women who face unintended pregnancies.
3. Ensure that reproductive health services are accessible but responsibly managed.
4. Encourage men to take responsibility in relationships because abortion is not just a women’s issue.
The goal is not to criminalize or stigmatize women, but to create a society where fewer women feel the need to seek abortion in the first place.
A BALANCED VIEW: PROTECTING LIFE AND HEALTH
It is important to strike a balance between protecting the life of the unborn and protecting the health of the mother. In some cases, abortion may indeed save a woman’s life such as in ectopic pregnancies or severe medical complications. The law allows for such instances, and hospitals should continue to provide that care safely.
However, society must not lose sight of the fact that every abortion is a loss, a life that could have been nurtured, a potential future that never came to be. This calls for compassion, not condemnation and for stronger moral guidance rather than mere statistics.
During my years of teaching, I have seen how early relationships, peer pressure, and lack of self-control have led many promising young girls astray. I remember one student who suddenly stopped coming to school. Later, it emerged that she had gone through an abortion, secretly, and dangerously. She survived, but her dreams never recovered.
Such stories remind me that while hospitals may save bodies, the real healing must begin in the classroom, the home, and the heart.
CONCLUSION: A CALL TO ACTION
The report from GHOne TV on the 766 abortions with no deaths in 2024 should serve as a double message to Ghana. On one hand, it is a medical victory, a proof that professional healthcare can prevent needless maternal deaths. On the other hand, it is a moral warning, a proof that our society is losing grip on the values that once held us together.
We must celebrate the progress but mourn the causes.
We must protect the health of our women but also nurture their hearts and minds.
We must continue improving healthcare systems while reviving moral education and family bonds.
As a teacher, a citizen, and a believer in the future of Ghana, I believe we can do both — safeguard life and uphold morality. Because the true measure of progress is not just how many procedures succeed, but how many lives we can guide, preserve, and empower before such procedures become necessary at all.
Written by: Honeybrowne Okaakyire
(Educator and a Blogger)
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