• FEATURE
Abortion
Who makes the decisions?
September 2 8 is International Abortion Rights Day. SPEAK finds out w h a t the politicians in South Africa have to say about making abortions legal
At Baragwanath Hospital, in Soweto, 4 0 0 0 women are admitted every year with problems caused by
"backstreet" abortions.
Illegal abortions are usually dangerous because they are done in places which are not clean. The methods used are not always safe. Bad infections, infertility and even death happen as a result. Every year more than 200 000 women have illegal abortions in this country.
Those people who are against abortion (pro-life) believe abortion is murder and should not be allowed at all. On the other hand, those who believe abortion should be made legal (pro-choice) say women should be allowed to have control over their own bodies.
Rosalee Telela asked political organisations, parties and a wide range of people what their views are.
Azapo
Dr Gomolemo Mokae of the Azanian Peoples Organisation (Azapo) said his organisation believes abortion should be legal.
"The number of illegal abor- tions are very high and women often land up in tragic situa- tions. An alternative must be provided, and the only way is by making abortion legal,"
Mokae says.
At the same time, he says, there is a danger in legalising abortion.
"It could easily lead to abor- tion being seen as a form of contraception. People will start
thinking of it as a way of pre- venting pregnancy."
• IFP
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) does not have a policy on abortion. It does, however,
agree with a constitution that has been drawn up if KwaZulu becomes an independent state.
The constitution says people will have "the right to receive sexual education, to use contra- ception and terminate unwant- ed pregnancy when it is safe".
However, a statement from
SPEAK • September 1993 • Page 10• FEATURE the organisation says: "the IFP
has not taken a final position on the issue of abortion. The issue is controversial and there is unlikely to be complete agree-
ment within the party on such an important matter."
• NP
The National Party (NP) did not say whether they are pro-choice or anti-abortion.
Danie du Plessis of the NP told SPEAK: "the government should deal with the abortion issue carefully and should only change the law once a wide
range of interest groups had been consulted."
• DP
The Democratic Party (DP) says it allows its members to
make up their own minds if they support abortion or not.
"They are free to vote according to their own princi- ples," said DP Member of Parliament, Dene Smuts.
• ANC
The African National Congress's (ANC) Baleka
Kgositsile, member of the organisation's National Executive Committee, said:
"the matter was discussed at a conference and was referred to branches for further discus- sion."
On the other hand, the ANC Women's League says: "women must have the right to control their own bodies, the right to contraception and the right to determine whether they want
children or not."
While many organisations are still making their minds up women are forced to danger- ous, unhealthy and humiliating backstreet abortions.
Today, there are only three countries in Africa (Zambia, Burundi and Tunisia) which do no have strict abortion laws.
In the rest of Africa, abor- tion is either not allowed at all or only under very strict condi- tions.
For women, especially black women, in this country the question of whether abor- tion will be made legal still remain unclear. Women have to put pressure on their organi- sations to take a stand. O
What the
people say:
Number of people Interviewed: 20 Area: Hillbrow, Berea and Soweto Age group: 16 - 35
Sex: Male and female
Views: 12 - pro-choice; 8 - anti-abortion What people said:
Bongi, 25, of Soweto Is convinced: "As a woman I should be given a choice whether 1 want a child or not because it is always the woman who has to raise the child. I will not
have a child if I know that I'm not ready to have one or if I know I will not be able to
feed i t "
Sipho, 27, lives In Hillbrow and says: "I would not let my girlfriend have an abor- tion. That will be killing my child and it will be a waste of my sperm."
Brenda, 18, who lives In Soweto, believes:
"If I fall pregnant I will go for an abortion because I want to finish school and work before I can think about marriage and chil- dren."
Lindi, 3 0 , who lives in Berea, argues:
"Abortion is wrong in the eyes of God.
When you have an abortion you are killing a child, a human being. I believe it should not be allowed."
Peter, 23, of Hillbrow says: "The law must give those women who wish to have abor- tions the right to do so. Then the high level of women dying or becoming infertile
because of illegal abortions will decrease."
SPEAK • September 1993 • Page 11
