Reproductive rights

Barriers to Womens Rights in Implementation of The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act (CTOPA) in KwaZulu- Natal

Published by: 
Health Systems Trust

Unsafe abortions are recognised as a global health problem. It is estimated that, worldwide and annually, twenty (20) million abortions are induced by untrained people under medically unsafe conditions. It is further estimated that, worldwide and annually, eighty thousand (80 000) women die as a result of unsafe abortions while another five (5) million women suffer non-fatal health problems (UNDP) as a consequence of unsafe abortions.

Draft UNGASS Report: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Indicators - A case study from South Africa

Published by: 
Health Systems Trust

A workshop was held in July 2007 hosted by MOSAIC at which the participating organisations discussed the identified indicators, refined these and shared research and findings. In collaboration with GESTOS (GESTOS - Soropositividade, Comunicao e Gnero) this forms part of a 16 country process.

Treatment Monitor: Sexual and Reproductive Intentions

Many HIV positive women after dealing with the initial hurdle or diagnosis and treatment express the desire to choose to have a child. Work has been done in this area by various researchers. There is a clear need to develop more work in this area. This is of particular importance as HIV positive women begin to feel better on treatment and decide to choose to have a child. Contraception for women on HAART is not well understood.

Treatment Monitor: Abortion

HIV-positive pregnant women should be told about and referred to, if they request this, abortion services as part of a continuum of care. Currently, only surgical abortions are available; however, medical abortion clinical guidelines are being finalized by the DOH. This should expand options for safe early legal termination of pregnancy; the earlier a pregnancy is terminated, the safer it will be. Medical abortion is generally done in the first 56 days of pregnancy so would assist greatly in reducing costs and the demands on a health facility.

Letter to the Editor - Lifting the Lid on Illegal Abortions

Your article 'Lifting the Lid on Illegal Abortions, 16 October 2007' makes clear the need for greater public awareness regarding the legality of termination of pregnancy (TOP), as well as for increased advocacy on behalf of women seeking TOP in South Africa. There were a few inaccuracies in the data presented. We are writing to correct these and to further convey the significance of the barriers women continue to face when attempting to access safe, legal TOP despite the passage of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act (CTOPA) in 1996.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Key to Achieving Millennium Development Goals

Addressing sexual and reproductive health is key to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, reveals a new report today released by the UN Millennium Project at the Global Health Council's 33rd Annual International Conference on Global Health.

Against the Grain: U.S. Abortion Policy from a Global Perspective

In 1973, the United States was part of a global trend to reform restrictive abortion laws that resulted in the unnecessary deaths and injuries of millions of women. After the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade secured the right to abortion, access to safe abortion care dramatically reduced maternal deaths and injuries. Despite this healthy trend, right-wing conservatives immediately began a crusade to undermine women's health and self-determination, promoting conservative ideology over public health interests and significantly limiting women's access to safe abortion services.

A: Promising Health and Food Security

As African women celebrate the rising numbers of ratifications towards the attainment of the statutory number of fifteen ratifications to bring into force the Protocol to the African Charter on Womens Rights in Africa (Nigeria is the latest member state to ratify the Protocol), it is relevant for us to embark on a simplification of the obligations on Member States and the potential benefits of its provisions for women.