Dr Linda Vanotoo, immediate past Greater Accra Regional Director of Health, has advised parents against aborting pregnancies for their teenage girls.
Dr Vanotoo stated that “if unfortunately, your child becomes pregnant, don’t use abortion as an option, she will live with the trauma of killing somebody for the rest of her life”.
She was speaking at a durbar of school children, parents, church, leaders, teachers, traditional leaders and other stakeholders at Tema Manhean.
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The durbar which was organized by the Tema Health Directorate in collaboration with the Tema Traditional Council to deliberate on adolescent issues was on the theme: “Reducing Adolescent Pregnancy: A Shared Responsibility”.
She said girls must not think it was enough to have sex, get pregnant and abort it adding that such abortions could get lead to complications and barrenness in future.
Dr Vanotoo narrated how a 17-year-old girl was brought to the hospital with infected uterus after aborting a pregnancy.
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She added that health officials were left with no option than to remove the uterus to save her life.
She advised girls to avoid such incidents in their lives by abstaining from sexual activities by being determined to concentrate on their education and building a career for the future.
She urged them not to be envious of their friends, and not to exchange sex for mobile phones, credits, dresses, shoes and other material things.
The former Director also reminded boys to be wary of homosexuals who lure them into having un-canal knowledge of them by showering them, with gifts.
Dr Vanotoo, who is a native of Tema, encouraged the girls not to use their poverty background as a justification to be promiscuous and wayward.
The Tema Metropolis recorded a total of 628 teenage pregnancies, 78 criminal abortions and 143 HIV positive tests among adolescents.