Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Feb 1;22(1):15.
doi: 10.1186/s12978-025-01957-8.

Knowledge of Ghana's liberal abortion law and use of modern contraceptives among women of reproductive age

Maxwell Tii Kumbeni  1 , Jeff Luck  2 , S Marie Harvey  2
Affiliations

Knowledge of Ghana's liberal abortion law and use of modern contraceptives among women of reproductive age

Maxwell Tii Kumbeni et al. Reprod Health. .

Abstract

Background: Modern contraceptives have been widely promoted as an effective tool for birth control. They are highly effective for preventing unintended pregnancies thereby reducing the risk of abortions, maternal morbidities, and mortalities. Abortion or planned abstinence from sexual intercourse may be perceived as alternatives to the use of modern contraceptives. The aim of this study was to assess whether knowledge of the legal status of abortion, and knowledge of the monthly fertile period, were associated with the use of modern contraceptives among women of reproductive age in Ghana.

Methods: We used nationally representative secondary data from the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey. A weighted sample of 23,466 non-pregnant women aged 15-49 years were included in the study. Pearson chi-square and multivariable logistic regression analysis were conducted to assess the association between the independent and the outcomes variables. Sampling weight, cluster, and strata were applied at all levels of the analysis.

Results: More than half (55.4%) lived in urban area, 80.1% were 20 years or older, 52.2% were multiparous women, 61.9% had secondary or higher education, and 34.5% were in the lower two wealth quintiles. We found no statistically significant association between knowledge of the legal status of abortion and use of modern contraceptives, or between knowledge of the monthly fertile period and use of modern contraceptives. Women with history of an induced abortion were 1.57 times as likely to use modern contraceptives compared to those with no history [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.57, 95% CI 1.41-1.75]. Each additional increase in knowledge of a different modern contraceptive method was associated with 1.25 times increase in modern contraceptive use (aOR 1.25, 95% CI 1.22-1.29).

Conclusions: Intensifying education on modern contraceptive methods and use, especially at abortion facilities, may help improve the uptake of modern contraceptives among women in Ghana.

Keywords: Abortion law; Ghana; Induced abortion; Knowledge of legal status of abortion; Knowledge of monthly fertile period; Modern contraceptives.

Plain language summary

Modern contraceptive use is known to have positive health benefits for women, their children and the entire family. When used correctly and consistently, it is effective in preventing unplanned pregnancies and abortion related complications among women. However, the prevalence of modern contraceptive use has been consistently low in Ghana. Previous studies have identified socio-demographic and health services related factors as affecting the use of modern contraceptives among women in Ghana. Our study used a nationally representative survey data to assess how knowledge of the abortion law in Ghana and knowledge of monthly menstrual period might affect the use of modern contraceptives among women in Ghana. We found that women’s knowledge of the abortion law in Ghana and knowledge of their monthly menstrual period were not associated with the use of modern contraceptives. However, knowledge of more than one different modern contraceptive methods and history of an induced abortion were associated with higher utilization of modern contraceptives among women in Ghana. Intensifying education on modern contraceptive methods and use, especially at abortion clinics, may help improve the of modern contraceptives among women in Ghana.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: We used de-identified publicly available secondary data which did not require ethical approval. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interest: The authors have declared that they have no competing interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Cleland J, Conde-Agudelo A, Peterson H, Ross J, Tsui A. Contraception and health. Lancet. 2012;380(9837):149–56. - PubMed
    1. Stover J, Ross J. How increased contraceptive use has reduced maternal mortality. Matern Child Health J. 2010;14(5):687–95. - PubMed
    1. Shukla A, Kumar A, Mozumdar A, Aruldas K, Acharya R, Ram F, et al. Association between modern contraceptive use and child mortality in India: a calendar data analysis of the National Family Health Survey (2015–16). SSM Popul Health. 2020;11: 100588. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dereuddre R, Van de Putte B, Bracke P. Ready, willing, and able: contraceptive use patterns across Europe. Eur J Popul Rev Eur Démographie. 2016;32(4):543–73. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Apanga PA, Kumbeni MT, Ayamga EA, Ulanja MB, Akparibo R. Prevalence and factors associated with modern contraceptive use among women of reproductive age in 20 African countries: a large population-based study. BMJ Open. 2020;10: e041103. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources