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Even many medical doctors refuse to perform an abortion – among them the head of the PE Hospital Complex’s Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at Dora Nginza Hospital, Dr Mfundo Mabenge.

“We have mommies who come for check-ups, and women and girls who want abortions. We do not let the two groups meet,” Mabenge says.

“We decided we would rather have who want abortions kept somewhere else. We call it the women’s clinic. We want to protect them and their rights and we do not want judgement and stigma attaching to them.

“Termination of pregnancy is still frowned upon in our community. Even if you are sexually assaulted and fall pregnant, some believe you do not have the right to terminate.”

Although Mabenge himself refuses to do abortions for religious reasons, he and his doctors will never hesitate to help a woman who is in shock or bleeding from an illegal abortion.

“I have to make sure that women do not die.”

The clinic’s abortion nurse, Sharon Hobo, said many teenagers came to the clinic during school hours in the hope nobody would recognise them. “Most of them want to keep this a secret.”

A 17-year-old at the clinic said: “I kept my pregnancy a secret from my aunt for a very long time. I would usually undress in of her but I stopped. When I came to the clinic for an abortion I came by myself. I did not tell anybody.”

Hobo says teens often come with their friends’ identity documents. “I get very angry when I find this out as we need to know what their history is.”

A study done by NMMU’s Prof Tilla Olivier, in which teachers in Nelson Mandela Bay examined the impact abortion had on teenagers in the classroom, also highlighted a concern the practice was creating a of secrecy and evasiveness.

“We see them on the street the one day and you just know they are pregnant,” one Jeffreys Bay teenager told The Herald.

“The next week their baby bump is gone. You ask them about it, but they just say they were never pregnant.”

Olivier’s study showed teachers felt most teenagers would just “blank out the abortion and get on with their lives” and that they would start to keep secrets and become socially isolated.

Downey, from New Life Crisis Pregnancy Centre in Uitenhage, said the culture of secrecy around abortion created a significant problem for women later on.

“We will never judge anybody who chose to have an abortion. But abortion is devastating – emotionally and spiritually. It makes me sad to think what impact it has on the lives of women and girls.

"The trauma these women go through, especially if they have an abortion later in their pregnancy, is  immense."

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Sat May 25 12:03:26 SAST 2013 ::

Jun 13, 2012

MommaC

I think the stigma should remain as this is not a practice that we want to become a 'social norm' or something to be done without prior thought. The clinics should, however, have councillors who can help these girls. Mental health is a very neglected area of our society.
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Jun 13, 2012

Maezizsto_

Why do they get pregnant if they do not want the child?I can understand if the pregnancy is as a result of rap'e,but those women who indulge in unprotected sex knowing very well they might get pregnant and later on decide to terminate the pregnancy are a disgrace.Even those tjatjarag teenagers are no exception
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Jun 13, 2012

Sizwe_M

The first point is clear and simple; you are not hired to promote your beliefs, but rather to offer a quality service to patients in need, and you are rewarded for such with a salary. Hence professionalism is expected and not hoped for.

As to your point MaC, its that same stigma that prevents people from getting help about HIV/AIDS, and the outcome of that mentality is clear for all to see.

Abortion is a personal decision which at its apex will affect the woman/girl more than anyone else, so please dont judge, just respect the decision. On a personal view, I would rather a woman/girl proect their future prospects be it educaion, employment or whatever considerations they have, than to have them sddled with a baby they cannot care for financially or emotionally. Invariably the child will suffer for actions that are not their own and thus we cannot punish the innocent for beliefs that are misplaced in our modern day. Its high time South Africans accepted that 12 year olds are having intercourse and consequently making children. Our moral standing should not punish our children twice for their errors in judgement.
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Jun 13, 2012

Shasha

Sizwe_M, you speak of respecting the decision of the pregnant woman/girl, but what about respecting the beliefs of the health care worker? Yes, you are employed to provide certain services in a professional manner, but what if, as in the case of abortions, some tasks go completely against what you stand for? We do not live in a "black and white" clear cut world, phela.
Dr Mfundo Mabenge is quoted as saying:

"We decided we would rather have who want abortions kept somewhere else. We call it the women’s clinic. We want to protect them and their rights and we do not want judgement and stigma attaching to them."
This to me sounds like someone who has tried to strike a balance between his personal beliefs and what is expected of him at work. I agree that it is not anyone's place to judge a woman/girl in need of an abortion, but I am also saddened by the way abortion has been trivialised in SA. What happened to birth control measures? Is prevention not better and less traumatic than "cure"? How many abortions will a woman have to have in order to stick to her life plan, if she had only planned to have her first child at 30, and finds herself in the theatre for her first abortion at 12?

Can we rather not try to teach our 12 year olds that yes, intercourse and such is awesome, but also that there is plenty more to life at 12 than s3x? What happened to dreaming, studying, going out with friends, pushing yourself on the sports field and classroom, dating, extra mural activities, etc? Why, oh why, are 12 - 19 year olds even having to think about getting rid of unwabted pregnancies? Why have we stripped our younger generation of their innocence?

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Jun 14, 2012

Deredeemed

Shasha - you are on point gilfrend -Why are 12-19 yer old thinking / having unprotected sex?
Abortion is not as cut and dry as one might think of..the guilt /shame one goes thru is unaxplainanble...
Gils 12-19 hormonally they are not ready to carry a child let alone abort one....Trust a person who doesnt have Children to say a child who is 12yers has a right to abort a child ...a blessing from God.
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Jun 14, 2012

FreeSpeech

Women should have the right to decide over their own body or if she wants a child or not. Government must stop dictating!
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Jun 14, 2012

MommaC

Sizwe_M

There is a vast difference between HIV and a pregnant 12 year old.

I am one of the ones who fought for legal abortion. Not so that 12 year old children could turn into prostiitutes but so that they would not be butchered by the back street abortionists. I am not judging women who chose to have an abortion but I also am not going to advocate for abortion to be as common and unshocking as purchasing a pair of shoese.
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Jun 14, 2012

mthosam

Sizwe_M
The first point is clear and simple; you are not hired to promote your beliefs,

you need to understand that he is not promoting his beliefs but exercises his right to beleif and religion as much as rastafarians will like their children be allowed to attend school with loged hair. think before u vomit your words. rread all right before you impose others.
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Jun 14, 2012

Mphokolodi02

its guys who make us pregnant and run away and yet ke bona gape ba peperezang too much mxxxxzzz
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Jun 14, 2012

RobinH

If the headline writer had just bithered to read the article he/she would see how misleading the header is. The opposition referred to in the article is NOT from the medical practitioners, but from the community. The ONE and ONLY doctor referred to, who does not perform abortions cites religious reasons, but there is absolutely no other indication of negativity from medical staff. SOWETAN EDITORS: It might be an idea to suggest that your headline writers occasionally actually read the pieces they have to write for.
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