The Circle of Life : Reproductive Rights in South Africa

“Wathint’ abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo. You strike a woman, you strike a rock.” These words, spoken at the Women’s March of 1956, have come to represent female courage and strength in South Africa. No other component of Women’s Rights Movements has provoked as much contention as the dispute about reproductive rights. Over the past century, the demand for access to birth control, the development of sex education, and the permittance of abortion has gained momentum in the nation, but Plan International’s “State of the World’s Mothers Report,”  labeled the top ten “worst countries to be a mother” to all be in sub-Saharan Africa (Odhiambo). So what measures has the government taken to improve upon its citizens’ reproductive rights?

South Africa’s 1996 Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act is often labeled “one of the most progressive abortion laws in the world” (Davis). According to IPS News, there has been a 41% reduction in maternal death in the past two decades since the act was passed (Odhiambo). The overall deaths resulting from complications in pregnancy and childbirth have decreased significantly, thus allowing for safer, better procedures. The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act allows the abortion of a pregnancy under broad circumstances, resulting in greater access to reproductive healthcare for women in the country. In 2008, an international organization of 55 African countries, the African Union, passed resolutions recognizing that “preventable maternal mortality is a violation of women’s rights to life, health and dignity” (Odhiambo). Overall, the measures taken by the government seem to work to improve upon reproductive healthcare for South African citizen.

However, while the government has made significant commitments towards improvement, they are often unable to fully execute them. Studies show that approximately 44% of South Africa’s maternal deaths are attributed to the immense national prevalence of preventable STIs and the inadequate quality of treatment of such diseases (Brown). Different factors, such as inadequate skills development and training for nurses in the public sector, hinder the use of the IUD, which can prevent the contraction of sexually transmitted infection. The rate of preventable STIs indicate government negligence concerning sexual health and education. According to the Daily Maverick, less than half of the abortion services that are legally offered by the government are actually operational (Davis). Thus, the government is not acting upon its previously made obligation to protect and further reproductive health rights, and a complete spectrum of contraceptives is neither popularized nor available in South African communities. A survey taken in 2006 reports that at least 30% of women in South Africa still believed that abortion was prohibited by law (O'Sullivan). Such confusion reflects inadequate sex education within schools and lack of public messages by the government concerning reproductive rights, perhaps due to the widely accepted stigmas about abortion. Thus, the South African people do not have adequate access to maternal health services and education concerning reproductive safety even with progressive actions written in the law.

South Africa’s government has taken actions that have both furthered and inhibited women’s reproductive rights. While the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act is labeled as a liberal measure, women still face obstacles when seeking safe reproductive health care and comprehensive sex education in schools. Many social scientists and women’s rights activists agree that further actions must be taken in order to create a nation in which women can fully feel secure and in control of their bodies.

Works Cited

Brown, Ryan Lenora, and Lenny Bernstein. "Major HIV Vaccine Trial in South Africa Stokes Hope." The Washington Post. WP Company, 25 Nov. 2016. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.

Davis, Rebecca. "Abortion in South Africa: A Conspiracy of Silence." Daily Maverick. N.p., 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

Kantengwa, Sharon. "Parents and Local Leaders Urged to Sensitise Youth on Sexual and Reproductive Rights." The New Times Rwanda. N.p., 25 Sept. 2016. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.

Odhiambo, Agnes, and Gauri Van Gulik. "OP-ED: Put a Spotlight on African Women's Reproductive Rights." IPS News. N.p., 19 May 2013. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

Osman, Sarah. "Women's Reproductive Health in South Africa - A Paradox." NGO Pulse. N.p., 07 Nov. 2011. Web. 07 Mar. 2017

O'Sullivan, Michele, and Catherine Bailey. Reproductive Rights. Durban: Ed. Collective, 1995. Centre for Human Rights. 1999. Web. 6 Mar. 2017.

Van Der Merwe, Marelise. "South Africa and Women’s Healthcare Rights: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back?" Daily Maverick. N.p., 29 Sept. 2016. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.