Education on Contraception is no Sin, Get Involve to Safeguard Future of Adolescent Persons— Ekon Obaahemaa Calls on Religious Leaders

The Obaahemaa of Ekon, a suburb of Cape Coast in the Central Region, Nana Yaafua ll, has called on religious leaders to take an active role in educating adolescents about contraception and reproductive health, stressing that providing accurate information should not be viewed as promoting immorality.

She made this statement in an engagement organized by the Plan Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) at Ekon for adolescent individuals, aged 12 and above in commemoration of this year's World Contraception Day, observed annually on September 26th to improve awareness of all available contraceptive methods and empower people to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health.

According to her, young people need reliable, age-appropriate information to enable them make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health for a better future. She cautioned against allowing stigma, silence or misinformation to prevent adolescents from accessing appropriate reproductive-health education.

The Ekon Obaahemaa said religious institutions, given their influence in communities, could play an important role in promoting responsible behaviour while upholding the values and principles of their respective faiths.

She then urged pastors, chief imams, traditional leaders and other faith-based organisations to engage adolescents and their parents on constructive discussions about sexual and reproductive health, rather than leaving young people to obtain information from unreliable sources in other not to have their future truncated with unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Anita Acquaah, a Midwife at the Ewim Polyclinic in Cape Coast in an interaction with Sompa TV's Eric Annan, underscored teenage pregnancy as a major challenge confronting the Ekon community and in the Cape Coast Metropolis in general, hence the need for the engagement to help curb the growing menace.

She again shared delight over how engaging and interactive the session turned out to be, with positive submissions expressed by participating adolescent persons who showed up for the educative engagement.

Some adolescents at the event expressed joy for the opportunity to be impacted with such vital knowledge which will go a long way to shape their sexual and reproductive life, as they remarked to have gain indepth knowledge on contraceptives and how to effectively monitor their menstrual cycle or that of their partners.

Sompaonline.com// Eric Annan