had paid 150,000 cedis for a two month old pregnancy and 300,000 cedis to the same provider 

for a three month old pregnancy one year later. 

At the time, I was three months pregnant and the man said it was now expensive so he 

would charge 300,000 [cedis], and I pleaded with him to reduce it. I had lied to my father 

that I wanted something so he should give me 100,000 [cedis] and he used to tell me that 

he'll give it to me the following day. So the day he finally gave it to me, I had borrowed 

200,000 [cedis] from a friend already, so I added to it. I did not tell my auntie this time 

because she will say,  Again?  So I just told my friend and I went alone. [Karen] 

Another participant, however, said she had paid the same price for two abortions from the 

same provider at another clinic 150,000 cedis each for both a two month  and three month old 

pregnancy. At least three participants said that they were refused abortions because the clinic or 

hospital providers said the pregnancy was too far advanced to do a safe abortion. More than two 

thirds of the abortions were paid for by the boyfriends or husbands. Of the remaining third, half 

of the procedures were paid for by the girls and half by parents or guardians.  

6.2.6  Postabortion Counseling After Clinic Abortions 

When the participants were asked whether they were given any counseling after their 

clinic abortions, most could not recall or said that they had received none. Only four participants 

could recall specifics about postabortion counseling. Two participants who had their procedures 

at the hospital or in the staff quarters said that the doctor told them the following after the 

procedure: 

Yes [the doctor counseled], he said I should never get myself pregnant again. According 

to him, he did the abortion for me because I'm too young. However, if it were to be an 

older person, he wouldn't have done it. So I should be careful. [Iris] 

Upon probing, this participant could not recall being told about any specific ways to  be 

careful,  such as contraceptive methods. Another girl said that she was told the following after 

the same doctor had performed her second abortion: 

He did the abortion for me in the same way the first one was done, but this time he 

advised me to use some contraceptives since I'm too young to be aborting all the time. 

[Diana] 

Two participants said that they received some postabortion counseling after their private 

clinic abortions. A participant said that she was told the following after her first abortion at the 

age of 16: 

When I had the abortion, the doctor told me that if I go to my husband again it won't be 

long and I will get pregnant, so I did not go there for about four months. . . No, he didn't 

[counsel me on how to avoid pregnancy]. All he said was [that] I should be patient and 

wait a while before going to my husband; so I waited for about five months. [Joy] 

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