A recent change in abortion laws in the United States of America (USA) has once again brought discussions about abortions to the forefront. What, if anything, does this mean for South Africans?
According to a CNN article, Alabama has banned abortion in all cases except where the mother’s health and life is seriously threatened, or where the foetus has an anomaly that could lead to their death. This means that pregnancies resulting from incest or rape cannot be aborted without the doctor being sent to prison.
CNN further reports that many other USA states are passing laws like these, such as Georgia that will not allow abortions if a foetal heartbeat can be detected from 2020 onwards.
Dalet Kleinhans, an adviser and the chair of Seasons Crisis Pregnancy Centre’s management, mentions that because the laws have been instated very recently, it is still difficult to know what will happen in the long term with funding.
Seasons Crisis Pregnancy Centre is the only Crisis Pregnancy Centre in Stellenbosch and it falls under the umbrella organisation Africa Cares for Life, tells Kleinhans. She elaborates that they have existed since 2004 and that their focus is “on the woman and her right to choose what is best for her”.
A Stellenbosch student with a “My body my choice” poster, commonly used by the pro-choice (and thus pro-abortion) movement. PHOTO: Lia Snijman.
“My worry is that if this ban were to be applied in South Africa, there would be an increase in backstreet abortions that often have serious complications for the mother,” says Kleinhans.
She says that when students continue with the pregnancy, they often have to either drop out of their course, or delay it by a year or two. Kirsten Francis, an employee at Marie Stopes where they provide many women’s health services such as abortions, states that while they do offer discounts for students, they do not believe students are disproportionately affected by abortion in terms of numbers. Their main focus is just to make treatments as accessible as possible.
Kleinhans explains that there are many factors why a woman would want an abortion, citing financial issues, parental disappointment, and societal pressure. She says that they “are there to listen without judgement in a safe environment where people know that what they’re talking about will not get to the university, parents or any other person.”
Five abortion posters on one block that promise the abortion will be “Safe and 30 minutes”. PHOTO: Lia Snijman.
George Louwrens, a young adults pastor at Stellenbosch’s Shofar, says that while Shofar is decidedly pro-life, they do not generally preach about abortion.
Louwrens mentions that he personally believes that people should not have an abortion “to avoid responsibility” for actions that they have taken, but also that “we should look at people’s circumstances” when speaking about how there should be exceptions for cases such as rape and incest.
At Shofar they believe that it is important to know that “God can use any life” while also taking into consideration that two lives are involved when it comes to an abortion.
Francis says that the laws in the USA affects South Africans’ opinions, especially those that are pro-life. She says that they “fight within themselves about the choices”.
Graphic: Lia Snijman.