A quack abortion Doctor has been jailed to four years imprisonment by Suhum Circuit Court in the Eastern Region
The quack doctor -David Darko, 41 years old had operated for about 10 years at his secret stuffy -one-room “clinic” in Mile 44 a suburb of Suhum.
He is believed to have conducted about 1,200 illegal abortions of young ladies in Suhum and its surrounding Communities throughout his 10 years of operation. Some young girls from Koforidua also patronized his dangerous services. There is evidence of many life-threatening complications suffered by many of his clients while some have their wombs damaged forever.
In 2017, he escaped from Police arrest. During the investigation, he told the Journalist that he conducts at least 10 abortions in a month and charges between Ghc600 to Ghc1000 depending on the trimester of the pregnancy.
He revealed during the investigation that he has acquired enough experience over the years having practiced at the facility for several years now. He claimed that he had not recorded any serious complaints from anyone throughout his practice.
David Darko, the illegal abortion Doctor was however arrested while in the act about to terminate another pregnancy of a young lady planted as an agent by Police and Ghana Health Service on January 9, 2021. This was after his illegal practice resulted in serious complications for some victims hence referred from Suhum government Hospital to Eastern Regional Hospital.
He pleaded guilty when put before the Suhum Circuit Court on Monday, January 11, 2020, therefore jailed for four years.
Suhum Police Commander Superintendent Joseph Owusu said medical equipment and drugs used for the illegal abortion were retrieved.
“We received information that somebody is operating illegal abortion within Suhum municipality and base on this intelligence the Suhum district police command gathered themselves and arrested the suspect now the convict at his hideout and when we searched him we were able to retrieve medical instruments and drugs and we processed him before the court and he was sentenced to four years imprisonment, we are now taking him to the Koforidua prisons to go and serve his term. According to his mother, he started this business more than ten years now”. The Police Commander said.
The Suhum Municipal Director of Health Dr. Frederick Kwame Ofosu said “about two or three of complications landed at the Suhum government hospital and another one also landed at the regional hospital in Koforidua and that necessitated the need to inform the police for the police to act. We’ve not yet recorded maternal death about illegal abortion but it might be that the operations of the man have also caused some deaths that we don’t know.”
He urged the young girls to patronize accredited health facilities if they want to terminate their pregnancies.
“The public health facilities are allowed to do this kind of abortion if there is the need to do it so I will advise those that are in need to come to the public health facilities so that they will undergo the necessary counseling and if there is the need to have it then it will be done very well for them get well to avoid any form of complication about abortion.
Yes there are health implications you might get complications from the abortion, you can also die, even if you do not die and you are caught there is a criminal code that you can be prosecuted.”
The CRIMINAL OFFENCES ACT – 1960 (ACT 29) Section – 58 – Abortion or Miscarriage
(1) Subject to the provisions of subsection (2) of this section-
(a) any woman who with intent to cause abortion or miscarriage administers to herself or consents to be administered to her any poison, drug or other noxious thing or uses any instrument or other means whatsoever; or
(b) Any person who-
(i) Administers to a woman any poison, drug or other noxious thing or uses any instrument or any other means whatsoever with the intent to cause abortion or miscarriage, whether or not that the woman is pregnant or has given her consent;
(ii) induces a woman to cause or consent to causing abortion or miscarriage;
(iii) Aids and abets a woman to cause abortion or miscarriage;
(iv) Attempts to cause abortion or miscarriage; or
(v) supplies or procures any poison, drug, instrument or other thing knowing that it is intended to be used or employed to cause abortion or miscarriage, shall be guilty of an offense and liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.
(2) It is not an offense under subsection (1) of this section if abortion or a miscarriage is caused in any of the following circumstances by a registered medical practitioner specializing in gynecology or any other registered medical practitioner in a Government hospital or a private hospital or clinic registered under the Private Hospitals and Maternity Homes Act, 1958 (No. 9) or in a place approved for the purpose by a legislative instrument made by the Secretary:
(a) Where the pregnancy is the result of rape, defilement of a female idiot or incest and the abortion or miscarriage is requested by the victim or her next of kin or the person in loco parentis, if she cannot make such request;
(b) where the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman or injury to her physical or mental health and such woman consents to it or if she cannot give such consent it is given on her behalf by her next of kin or the person in loco parentis; or
(c) Where there is a substantial risk that if the child were born, it may suffer from, or later develop, a serious physical abnormality or disease.
(3) For purposes of this section “abortion or miscarriage” means the premature expulsion or removal of conception from the uterus or womb before the period of gestation is completed.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
