Negotiating Culture and Religious Taboos toward Maternal Health Choice and Utilization in Rural Ghana.

This article investigates how cultural and religious taboos, specifically a century-old ban on childbirth within the Mafi-Dove community in southern Ghana, influence maternal health choices and utilization. The taboo forbids women from giving birth in the community due to beliefs about childbirth blood as an abomination to the gods, compelling women to deliver elsewhere and return postpartum. Findings reveal that cultural beliefs and religious authority, upheld predominantly by male elders, enforce women's compliance and shape communication around maternal health, often limiting women's autonomy. Despite recognition of the health risks and advocacy for change—particularly by younger community members—this taboo persists, overriding national maternal health policies. The study recommends culturally sensitive and strategic religious communication to negotiate these taboos and promote positive change in maternal health outcomes.