Adolescents' access to emergency contraception in Africa: An empty promise?

Savage-Oyekunle, Oluremi A.; Nienaber, Annelize

doi:10.17159/1996-2096/2017/v17n2a7

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…More so, adolescent and young adult women fall under the sexually active age group and form a high-risk group for unintended pregnancies, since the likelihood for them to engage in sporadic pre-marital sex is high [ 13 ]. Research suggests that early involvement in sexual activity and low contraceptive usage are some known reasons that contribute to unintended pregnancies in Africa [ 14 , 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors influencing the use of emergency contraceptives among reproductive age women in the Kwadaso Municipality, Ghana

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Unintended pregnancy leads to unsafe abortion, which is one of the commonest causes of maternal deaths in developing countries including Ghana. Lots of unintended pregnancies can be avoided using emergency contraceptives (EC). Emergency contraceptives are mostly used after unprotected sexual intercourse and have a ninety-nine percent chance of preventing unintended pregnancy when taken correctly. However, unlike other modern contraceptives such as condoms, emergency contraceptives cannot prevent sexually transmitted infections. Objectives This study aimed at assessing the factors influencing the use of emergency contraceptives among reproductive-age women in the Kwadaso Municipality, Ghana. Methods A community-based descriptive cross-sectional study design was conducted in three sub-municipalities of the Kwadaso Municipality. A multistage sampling method was used to select 312 women in their reproductive age within households. A simple random sampling method was first used to select the sub-municipalities (Kwadaso Central, Asuoyeboah, and Agric-Nzema). Participants were selected from households through a systematic sampling procedure and responses were solicited from women who consented to participate in the study. The selection was strictly dependent on the number of eligible women in a household, that is, in an event where more than one woman was found in a household, a simple random sampling method was used to select only one woman from that household. STATA 15.0 was used to analyse the data. Binary logistic regression was used to find the adjusted estimates and associations between EC use and the exposure variables. P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant at 95% Confidence Interval (CI). Results The findings showed that 79.67% of the women had ever used EC. Amongst them, 59.83% used EC following unexpected unprotected sex, and 24.69% used EC following failed coitus interruptus. Women’s attitude towards EC (AOR = 8.52, p<0.001), religion (AOR = 4.56, p = 0.004), and monthly income (AOR = 0.29, p = 0.030) were found to have significant influence on their use of EC. Conclusion The level of EC use among the women was high. Women’s attitude towards EC, religion, and monthly income were the major factors influencing the use of EC. Thus, strategies to promote EC use should emphasize on addressing the attitude of women towards EC through sex education in schools, various religious institutions, and the community at large with the services of health authorities and support from governmental and non-governmental organizations whose focus is to address the need for reproductive health services in order to reduce the misconception regarding the use of EC.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors influencing the use of emergency contraceptives among reproductive age women in the Kwadaso Municipality, Ghana

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Parents, doctors, nurses, partners and even the government can make decisions about rural adolescent girls' sexuality, but the girls themselves cannot, which undermines their rights to liberty and security of the person. 28 While section 76 of the Constitution and section 33 PHA stipulate that no person may be refused emergency medical treatment, rural adolescent girls still struggle to access emergency post-coital contraception. Further, section 64 of the Criminal Law (Reform and Codification Act) allows children between the ages of 12 and 16 to consent to sexual intercourse, but section 35 PHA prohibits them from consenting to SRH services which means they cannot buy contraceptives and cannot obtain SRHR-related medical treatment without parental consent.…”

Section: Liberty and Security Of The Personmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Law and Politics of Internal Secession: The Ethiopian Experience in Comparative Perspective

Fessha

Ayele

2021

Territorial Politics and Secession

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Lack of transparency about age of consent creates uncertainty regarding what behavior is proscribed. Another challenge arising from the lack of transparency is that negative sociocultural norms about adolescent sexuality fill in the lacunae, so that policies on sexual health are interpreted restrictively for adolescents, for example, adolescents' access to contraceptives (Savage-Oyekunle & Nienaber, 2017).…”

Section: She Further Noted As Followsmentioning

confidence: 99%

(De)Criminalizing Adolescent Sex: A Rights-Based Assessment of Age of Consent Laws in Eastern and Southern Africa

Kangaude

Skelton

2018

SAGE Open

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Age of consent criminal laws imposed on African states during colonialism were inherently patriarchal and gender-stereotypic, and continue to influence country approaches toward adolescent consensual sexual conduct. There are two major policy positions: a punitive and a nonpunitive approach. Most countries adopt the punitive approach. Mostly, legislation does not explicitly criminalize consensual sexual conduct between adolescents, and this leaves a gray area to be filled in by social and cultural norms that perceive adolescent sexual conduct negatively. Punitive approaches have been justified as necessary to curb harms to adolescents resulting from sexual conduct, including teenage pregnancies and sexual abuse. Age of consent laws, especially in their original colonial formulation deny adolescents, especially girls, sexual autonomy and agency. States focus more on punishment than on taking measures to address the structural antecedents of harms associated with sexual intercourse. States should reform age of consent laws to decriminalize consensual sex between adolescents in accordance with recognized rights of the child.

show abstract

Adolescents' access to emergency contraception in Africa: An empty promise?

Abstract: Summary Governments have committed themselves at international human rights

Cited by 5 publications

References 4 publications

Factors influencing the use of emergency contraceptives among reproductive age women in the Kwadaso Municipality, Ghana

Factors influencing the use of emergency contraceptives among reproductive age women in the Kwadaso Municipality, Ghana

The Law and Politics of Internal Secession: The Ethiopian Experience in Comparative Perspective

(De)Criminalizing Adolescent Sex: A Rights-Based Assessment of Age of Consent Laws in Eastern and Southern Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About