On a May morning in 2024, Stella (not her real name) rushed to the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) clinic at Suame, her heart pounding. It has been her routine for some time now. The weight of her fears pushed her faster as she weaved through the busy streets. Each step felt heavier, but the clinic was her only hope. With a glance over her shoulder, she received her monthly birth control shot. This is a secret she keeps from her husband. “I need my peace of mind to concentrate on my work. How on earth do I tell my husband? He will chew me up, ” she whispered.
Stella’s story is not unique. A revolution is gradually sweeping across the rural and urban spread of Ghana. In a patriarchal society where women have little say over their bodies, women are taking control of their reproductive rights in a bid for autonomy. This is despite their spouses denying them the right to access family planning services. This is seen in unnoticeable visits of women to clinics, seeking family planning services in the Ashanti Region. Health workers have become allies in this struggle which is pitching women against societal norms.
You can read the whole article with many more women’s personal stories and information about family planning services online at the link below, and/or you can listen to the whole article via an online player, narrated by the author, at this link, just below the article’s title and details and scroll through the accompanying visuals throughout the article.
SOURCE: My Joy Online, by Mona Lisa Frimpong, 6 January 2025.