The Constitution does not specifically mention abortion, but two articles of the Bill of Rights mention reproductive rights. Paragraph 12(2)(a) states: “Everyone has the right to physical and psychological integrity, including that right. to take decisions on reproductive matters`, while Article 27(1)(a) provides that `[e]veryone has the right of access to health services, including reproductive health care`. In Christian Lawyers Association v. Secretary of Health, an anti-abortion organization, challenged the validity of the Abortion Vote Act on the grounds that it violated the right to life set out in section 11 of the Bill of Rights; The Transvaal Provincial Division of the High Court rejected their argument, ruling that constitutional rights apply only to born human beings and not to foetuses. [3] [4] To ensure that legalized abortion improves reproductive health in South Africa, women need to know that abortion is a legal option in the event of an unwanted pregnancy. This study examined knowledge of abortion legislation eight years after the introduction of legal abortion services in a province in South Africa. In addition, many healthcare workers need technical training on procedures such as manual vacuum suction, which is still a relatively new technology in South Africa. Currently, there are significant differences both in the methods used for first trimester abortion and in how some of these methods are used. Without proper training, hospitals will be further delayed before they can start providing abortion services, putting pressure on the few hospitals that provide comprehensive services. Recently, additional funding has been made available for training programs to improve the skills and technical knowledge of health care providers.
This article examines the policies that have regulated the accessibility of abortions and assesses their impact on reproductive health. We also describe the newly enacted legislation and look at some of the challenges that need to be overcome to ensure that women take full advantage of the law. Both attempts failed, but legal experts fear that a fundamental change in U.S. abortion law could encourage these conservative political groups to rally around abortion issues in order to come to power. Melgalve I, Lazdane G, Trapenciere I, Shannon C, Bracken H, Winikoff B: Knowledge and attitudes about abortion legislation and abortion methods among abortion clientes in Latvia. Eur J contracept Reprod Health care. 2005, 10 (3): 143-150. 10.1080/13625180500332224. A 2003 study in Soweto found that the abortion rate among women over 20 fell from 15.2 per cent in 1999 to 13.2 per cent in 2001, the rate of women aged 16-20 from 21 per cent to 14.9 per cent and the rate of women aged 13-16 from 28 per cent to 23 per cent. In 2001, 27 per cent of abortions took place in the second trimester. [8] Even if some states retain the right to abortion, these clinics could be overwhelmed by people who go there for abortions, which would also limit access to the United States in general. Experts consulted by Bhekisisa agreed that a change in U.S.
abortion policy could encourage working groups to roll back abortion rights and human rights issues in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual community. To address the antagonism of some health professionals, there has become an urgent need to make providers aware of their responsibilities under the new law. The Planned Parenthood Association of South Africa has held value-raising workshops in hospitals offering abortion services. The main objective of these workshops is to facilitate the implementation and management of abortion effectively. In addition, the workshops seek to understand providers` concerns about abortion and help providers connect their values to the needs of their clients. The ultimate goal of the workshops is to develop recommendations for integrating such training into regular training programs for providers.20 7. Fawcus S et al., Management of incomplete abortions at South African public hospitals, South African Medical Journal, 1997, 87(4):438-442. While most religious groups in South Africa opposed the legalization of abortion, the Dutch Reformed Church, the official Church of South Africa, not only opposed the new law, but also promoted the belief that the white population needed to grow to maintain its dominance.2 In addition, government tax incentives were used to encourage white women to reproduce. In contrast, contraception for black and black women has been promoted as a measure to hinder the growth of the black population. Thus, family planning was associated with the racist policies of the apartheid government. Many South Africans ask: What is the impact on our country, where abortion is legal, if the United States reverses its right to abortion? For example, would the U.S.
limit support for reproductive health programs in South Africa and say that funds cannot be used for abortion services? Will possible changes in U.S. abortion laws lead to changes in our own abortion laws? Experience around the world shows that restrictive abortion laws lead women to unsafe abortions, which in turn contributes to more than a tenth of maternal mortality in developing countries [1]. Before the liberalization of South African law in 1996, about 1000 legal abortions were granted each year in South Africa, mainly to white middle- and upper-class women [2]. At the same time, about 200,000 unsafe abortions were performed each year, the vast majority among poor black women, resulting in about 45,000 hospitalizations and more than 400 deaths from septic abortion per year [2]. The Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act 1996 (CTOP) gives South African women the right to choose whether or not to have a safe abortion [3]. As a direct result of this legislation, abortion-related morbidity and mortality have decreased throughout the country [4]. However, abortion services are still inaccessible to many women due to stigma, resistance from vendors, and lack of trained providers and facilities certified by the national or provincial Ministry of Health to perform abortions [5]; As a result, illegal abortions still occur [6, 7]. However, women continue to seek abortions, even though serious health risks are possible. Admissions to gynaecological wards increased significantly as women with incomplete or septic abortions occurred.7 Maternal morbidity and mortality due to septic abortions also increased.8 In addition, the approximately 1,000 legal abortions performed each year in South Africa accounted for only a tiny fraction of all abortions performed. Estimates of the number of clandestine abortions were considerably higher, ranging from 120,000 to 250,000 per year between 1975 and 1996.9 At the time of the decision, abortions were already available in parts of the United States, but this decision meant that states had to be crushed by policies that prevent abortion.
