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. 2013 Mar;103(3):397-9.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301194. Epub 2013 Jan 17.

Abortion in a progressive legal environment: the need for vigilance in protecting and promoting access to safe abortion services in South Africa

Karen A Trueman  1 , Makgoale Magwentshu
Affiliations

Abortion in a progressive legal environment: the need for vigilance in protecting and promoting access to safe abortion services in South Africa

Karen A Trueman et al. Am J Public Health. 2013 Mar.

Abstract

The importance of South Africa as a model for reproductive self-determination in Africa cannot be underestimated. Abortion has been legal since 1996, and the country has some of the most developed government systems for the provision of abortion care on the continent. Yet in the same way opponents of abortion in the United States have whittled away at access with increased bureaucracy, South Africa faces similar assaults that leave women without safe care and threaten to turn back achievements made during the past 16 years. I explore the history of the law, subsequent legal challenges, and new threats to women's access to abortion services, including service delivery issues that may influence the future of public health in the country.

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References

    1. The Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act defines women as a female person of any age. For the purposes of this commentary, we are also using this definition; therefore the category includes female persons under the age of 18. Maternal and Child Health services are provided free of charge by the State, this includes sexual and reproductive health services such as Cervical cancer screening, contraception, abortion services, etc.
    1. The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act; Act 92 of 1996. - PubMed
    1. H. Rees, J. Katzenellenbogen, R. Shabodien, et al., “The Epidemiology of Incomplete Abortion in South Africa,” South African Medical Journal 87 (1997): 432–437. - PubMed
    1. R. Jewkes, H. Brown, K. Dickson-Tetteh, et al., “Prevalence of Morbidity Associated With Abortion Before and After Legalisation in South Africa,” British Medical Journal 324: (2002): 1252–1253. - PMC - PubMed
    1. South African Government Information: Statistics South Africa: South African Census 2011: 80% of South Africans refer to themselves as Christian.

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