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Check yourselves: Don’t blame wives for infertility …Catholic priest advises husbands
● Reverend Father Ignatius Ayivor(standing), delivering his homily
Often, when a couple is battling infertility, the finger is pointed at the wives.
Sometimes, even husbands who are the real cause of the problems will sit aloof and leave the women to their fate to be chastised by society.
This development is of concern to the Parish Priest of the St. Augustine Catholic Church in Ashaiman, Reverend Father Ignatius Ayivor SVD, who has described the situation as one that has compelled many women to resort to unthinkable solutions to redeem themselves.
“Some husbands cannot produce healthy sperms but blame it on their wives. Your reproductive system might be defective, but you will not go and check it. Your sperms are not correct; find out, and don’t blame it on your wife,” he said.
He said it was despicable that such men, instead of seeking medical attention, would rather join others in calling their wives “barren.”
Delivering his homily last Sunday at the Church in Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region, he said such wives, who knew they have been left to fight the battle of conception alone, become desperate and d from place to place.
He said the most disturbing thing was their vulnerability, which drove them to fall into the hands of fake pastors whom they least suspected of leading them into destruction.
The parish priest said some people called themselves pastors took advantage of the hopeless women and even ended up sleeping with them under the guise of offering them a solution to their challenges.
He said such women, who were usually hypnotised, end up getting pregnant as they desire, but the children do not belong to their husbands.
He said some pastors claim to be praying for the women and suggest deliverance and hypnotise them, and by the time they (the women) came back to their senses, they (the pastors) would have done what they (the pastors) wanted with them.
“Some women cannot even remember what happened to them (during the supposed prayers), but they cannot tell anyone about it,” he said, because of fear, guilt, or shame, and have to live with that burden for the rest of their lives.
Rev. Fr. Ayivor cautioned men who prefer to sit on the fence when their marriages are battling infertility that they are likely to end up “with a pastor’s child” in their homes.
He said such men should not be surprised if, after a DNA test, they find out that the children in their homes are not theirs.
He said it was about time husbands became fully involved in the journey of dealing with infertility with their wives to save their marriages and the poor wives from such temptations.
The parish priest also advised women to be vigilant and focused and not resort to moving from place to place to prevent them from getting into the hands of wrong people.
He said it was important they pursued medical attention and prayed on their own for God’s intervention instead of following recommendations that could cause them problems in the future.
He advised the church members to get more education about issues on the subject of infertility because science and medicine had evolved over the years and could give them options that could favour them.
He also called on society to be supportive and show mercy to people who need help and not add to their pain.
By Dzifa Tetteh Tay
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
