Government must stop abortion tragedy

Even while the debate about abortion still rages in the US, following a Supreme Court decision there that women had no constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy, in South Africa, scores, maybe even hundreds of women are dying every year from back-street abortions.

As many as one in six “maternal deaths” recorded in South Africa are ascribed to abortion complications. And very few of these are in government centres which are registered to carry out terminations.

Health practitioner Professor Elna McIntosh said a major cause of these abortion-related fatalities was the booming trade in illegal “abortion pills” which are advertised on virtually every corner in our CBDs.

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Many of these pills – which are intended for other medical conditions – are being dispensed by fake doctors. And, worryingly, no-one in authority seems to care about this ongoing tragedy, says McIntosh.

One of the problems is that many women and girls are ignorant about the government termination services available to them. They are also often scared about what bringing a baby into the world could mean for them. Some are even rape victims.

On top of that, there is the reality that when they do go to government facilities, they are often abused by nurses who, for religious reasons, do not believe in abortion.

Because of the conservative nature of much of our society, there will probably be little sympathy for those girls and women seeking to terminate pregnancy. Possibly the women will be regarded as promiscuous and responsible for the situation in the first place.

Deaths due to unsafe abortions are unlikely to attract much sympathy, given that many South Africans are pro-life and not pro-choice when it comes to abortion. The reality, though, is that abortion is legal and the government has a responsibility to make it as safe as possible.