Special Report – Abortions
WHY WE NEED TO NORMALISE SAFE ABORTIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA
Afika Jadezweni addresses the taboo attached to terminating a pregnancy, and sheds light on why it is crucial for women to have the final say on their reproductive rights
Terminating a pregnancy in South Africa has been legal for about 24 years — a reproductive right almost as old as our democracy. Yet, this is often rendered a shame. When not spoken about in hushed tones behind closed doors, the word “abortion” is bellowed at pro-life marches in a string of sentences consisting of judgemental adjectives.
If you have ever walked along or driven through any major city’s central business district or a small town’s main road, one of the first vivid images that may come to mind is that of blue and white A4-sized flyers generously littered across the walls and pavements. These posters display anonymous numbers of faceless practitioners who claim that they can remove a foetus out of your womb in a “fast, pain-free” procedure. You have to think that the less-than-sanitary conditions where we often stumble upon these “unofficial business cards” are symbolic of the back-door facility conditions. For many women, unfortunately, these hidden abortion clinics are the only option. And, given the abundance of posters on almost every street corner, you could even argue that they strategically position themselves as accessible in the eyes of the desperate.KNOCKING ON THE BACK DOOR
When the founder of Abortion Support South Africa, Gaopalelwe Phalaetsile, shared her abortion story on Facebook a few years ago, it went viral.
In what could be said to have been a digital journal entry, Phalaetsile wrote: “I remember looking at the white ceiling while lying down on the hospital-like bed. My legs were wide open. The two women working on me were talking about their boyfriends. The unbearable pain prompted me to scream, but my cries fell on deaf ears. Instead, my yells were met with emotionless expressions. Cold faces. The process was so painful that whenever I think about that day, I still feel the pain. Only, I was not in an actual hospital. I was in a dirty flat where I was having an abortion at an illegal provider. Next to my bed was a bucket filled with the remains of the foetus of the person who had lain here before me.” Her reason, she told health journalism site Bhekisisa, was that she “wanted the world to know the pain and consequences of an illegal abortion”.
Speaking to TRUELOVE in 2019, Phalaetsile says, “I sympathise with women who go for illegal abortions because I understand the realities of not being able to access the facilities in South Africa, that you become so desperate you end up seeking illegal abortions.” In the same breath, she emphasises why, despite how desperate you are, a safe abortion is better than a backstreet one because illegal procedures may be fatal. “Yes, there isn’t much evidence because the Department of Health does not indicate a willingness to share that information. That shows a level of incompetence on its part with regards to dealing with abortion,” she adds.
“My fight is for access, so that we don’t have to rely on illegal abortions that may end up killing or damaging us to a point where we can’t have children in the future.”
On the subject of reproductive autonomy, the viral storyteller who is now a mother, says, “I think women’s rights (globally) are still at the back of people’s minds – even worse so when it comes to sexual and reproductive rights. I don’t think that we are as liberated as we think as yet – we still have a long way to go.”
A conclusion drawn from a 2015 US study titled Decision Rightness and Emotional Responses to Abortion in the United States: A Longitudinal Study, supports this observation. One of the findings states that “arguments that abortion causes women emotional harm, and that women come to regret abortions they decided to have, are used to shape public opinion and advance legislation restricting access to abortion in the US.” This mirrors our local narrative, especially given how conservative this country is, as Phalaetsile also notes that “we live in a very Christian society”.
IS OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM EQUIPPED?
Phalaetsile expresses frustration at the health sector’s heavy-handedness in the stigmatisation of abortions. “Even our government and health sector have not done enough to raise awareness about safe abortions. You go to a clinic and see posters about healthy pregnancy, but you never see one about abortion. And, if you want an abortion, it always has to be talked about behind tightly shut doors. I never understand why because it is a law; a right. Abortion is the only procedure that has its own health act in South Africa, yet we still have issues with it. The stigma against it has gone so far that people don’t have enough information. Healthcare professionals should be active participants in this, too, because they are the custodians of abortion.”
She emphasises that education about pregnancy termination would be far more important than anything else. “This is because teaching liberates women, and the more information you keep away from them about their rights, the longer the stigma sticks.”
As we shift to the taboos related to this subject
Regardless of the reason, the emotional response to a termination can range from relief, calm and happiness to sadness, grief, loss and regret, depending on your situation.
matter, Phalaetsile shares how she realises that in her line of work, a lot of the stigma comes from miseducation, misinformation and a reliance on myths. “We need to bust these myths,” she says in an impassioned tone.
TACKLING THE SHAME HEAD ON
In a bid to tackle abortion shaming in 2016, local writer Joonji Mdyogolo made a call at the end of a written piece about ending abortion stigmas, to action for women to share their stories. This birthed the Facebook page Joonji Langa, where you’ll find at least four stories submitted by women who had opted to terminate. These could be viewed as depicting the four pillars of the ‘abortion and its perceptions’ debate.
One story that stands out is that of 35-yearold Liz*, whose abortion evoked feelings of punishment for her. “Why else would they give us nothing for the pain?” her submission to the page reads, echoing what many other women had detailed on the page with regards to the physical pain they experienced during the procedure. But, what makes Liz’s post different is that she very candidly expresses that “I didn’t really care what they thought of me”. She brings to mind today’s patients who are slowly ushering in a wave of the normalisation of abortion. If you’re active on Twitter, you might be quick to say that we’ve long moved past the shame. However, those numbers are but a speck on an egg in South Africa’s conservative and largely religious population.
SPEAK OUT
Misa Makwakwa Masokameng, a 23-year-old Johannesburg-based creative artist and strategist, strongly shares the same no-shame sentiment as Liz. She considers abortion as a primary healthcare concern, much like any other ailment you would seek surgery for. As such, she says “any person should be able to access this particular form of medical care, should they feel the need”.
She adds that pregnancy is not always ideal. “For some people, falling pregnant is not always
a choice. They should be able to correct that absence of choice should they see fit. For those who are simply not ready to be parents, they should be able to choose not to become one. I recently came across an advert on YouTube for a film that I believe blurs the lines regarding whether or not abortions should be legal. It questioned the morality of the procedure, too.”
She says this was “disappointing to see because we already live in a time where abortion is so stigmatised that placing questions of morality creates even more stigma and ill-treatment. That is dangerous.” She concludes by reiterating that in general, your body should not be legislated.
“Your uterus should not be legislated. The choice on how to live your life must lie solely with you, the person meant to live that life. This includes whether or not to be pregnant, give birth or otherwise.” You would think that in a country privileged to have the choice, communities would be more welcoming of abortion. But, with proverbs such as “a child chooses their mother before they are conceived”, it is difficult to dismiss the shame solely as ignorance.
Sometimes, people are spiritually attached to the idea of motherhood being the ultimate purpose of a woman. However, acknowledging this does not negate the fact that we need to move past the element of shame, and treat safe abortions as much of a norm as getting an appendix removed. But, the appendix we need to remove from society first, is that of stigma.
*Not her real name