The National Adoption Coalition of South Africa (NACSA) launched the Choose to Care crisis pregnancy awareness campaign in June, to offer support and guidance to teenage girls and women facing an unplanned pregnancy.
“Our aim is to help women and girls explore all their options and receive the best professional advice in order to make wise choices for themselves and their unborn babies,” said Dee Blackie, a strategic business and brand consultant, and child protection activist who has worked extensively in social development.
“Prior to a recent amendment to the Sexual Offenders Act decriminalising consensual sex between 12- to 15-year-olds (see previous article), the Act was used as a punitive tool by some authorities to demonise and punish teenage girls for falling pregnant, placing the blame solely on their shoulders,” explained Blackie. “But a recent survey on teen pregnancies found that one in three of these girls reported their first act of intercourse as being ‘non-consensual’. So, given the high levels of sexual abuse, rape and coercion of girls in South Africa, the amendment has been well considered.”
The problem, Blackie believes, now lies with the fact that a 12-year-old girl can legally have consensual sex, fall pregnant, and request a termination if she so wishes. But, should this 12-year-old choose to carry the baby to term, she can only sign consent to the adoption of that child when she, the mother, turns 18. Until then, she needs her own parents’ consent, and many teenage girls don’t want their parents to even know about their pregnancies, let alone having to ask their permission to relinquish the baby. “There needs to be a change to legislation allowing 12-year-olds the same option to adoption as they have to abortion,” said Blackie.
In South Africa, termination of pregnancy (TOP) up to 20 weeks gestation is every woman’s legal right, regardless of her age.
Marie Stopes South Africa is the country’s largest non-profit provider of reproductive healthcare services, and currently provides safe, legal abortions at 14 centres across seven provinces. Their work is strictly governed by the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act.
“Challenges of access and stigma are the two main drivers of young girls seeking out unsafe, backstreet abortions,” said Andrea Thompson, advocacy and engagement manager for Marie Stopes SA. “Here we are passionately pro-choice. If the girl seeking TOP services is young, we do advise her to talk to a trusted adult, and ask someone to accompany her to the centre for her appointment. But this is not required. A girl should never be denied an abortion because of her age.”
“Although designated providers in the public sector can refuse to provide TOP services on the grounds of conscientious objection, they do have a legal and an ethical right to refer a girl to a facility where she can have the procedure done,” concluded Thompson.
Details: Crisis Pregnancy – www.crisispregnancy.org.za, 0800 864 658
