Clandestine clinics offering illegal abortions are one of the prime causes of unnecessary maternal deaths across Africa. The lack of facilities for safe procedures makes the statistics worse.
WHEN THE PAIN started, I called him. I begged him for help. I was bleeding so much. The pain became more and more severe. I could not sit, or stand or lie down. I could not move. He told me not to contact him again, that it was not his problem. He told me to go to hospital if I have problems. After that, I never got hold of him again.”
This is the story of Megan Naidoo (not real name), the survivor of an illegal backyard abortion procedure. Naidoo was seven weeks pregnant when her boyfriend forced her to have an abortion. She lived with him and her father in a small two-bedroom flat on the outskirts of Kimberley in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. There are not many institutions providing safe abortions in Kimberley and Naidoo was afraid of shaming her Muslim father.
So, she took a bus to Johannesburg in search of a way out of her desperate situation. She had only about $144 for the trip. Her boyfriend gave it to her when he put her on the bus to Johannesburg and told her to return with a clean body.
As she walked through the city searching for someone to direct her to a designated facility, she came across a flyer, stuck to a lamp post. The flyer was advertising safe and painless abortions. At first, she did not realize what the flyer suggested. Then, she saw more flyers decorating electricity boxes, lamp posts, traffic lights and sidewalk walls; they were everywhere around her. “Safe 30-minute abortions, no pain guaranteed” the flyers beckoned her; “Phone ‘Dr Nick’ to make appointment”.
Although she was afraid of judgment, she managed to make the call. Back home in Kimberley, her family would have, in God’s name, stopped her from killing an innocent baby for selfish reasons. This is also what the nurse said to her when she first approached the local hospital in Kimberley for help.
Denne historien er fra December 2018 - February 2019-utgaven av Forbes Woman Africa.
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Denne historien er fra December 2018 - February 2019-utgaven av Forbes Woman Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Well-Grounded
Coco Cachalia, whose mother Amina was among the 20,000 in the Women’s March of August 1956, made a decision to stay away from politics – and succeed in business instead.
Art Becomes Her
A celebrated international fine artist, Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi overcame the struggles of apartheid, and her work is grounded in her past.
'Not Just Pro-Women But Pro-Progress'
South Africa’s Minister of Women Susan Shabangu on the significance of the 61st anniversary of Women’s Day, and the role men can play in ending gender violence in South Africa and creating an equal society.
Diversity And Inclusion Are Part Of Baker Mckenzie's DNA
According to Law360’s 2017 Glass Ceiling Report, women make up around one-third of the attorneys in private legal practice. Among the law firms surveyed, just below 23% of partners are female.
We, Men For Women
South Africa still has a long way to go for gender justice in business and in life, but with more men openly stepping forward to be a part of the discourse, FORBES WOMAN AFRICA speaks to two male entrepreneurs, a CEO and a social activist. They acknowledge diversity makes smart social and economic sense that will benefit all.
What, After All, Does Feminism Have To Do With Men?
According to the seminal African-American writer bell hooks (her name is not capitalized), feminism is for everybody.
Blood, Setbacks And Tears
Two sisters with common failures and a dream to eventually succeed.
Fighting To The End
In May, 82 more Chibok girls were released in exchange for Boko Haram prisoners. Oby Ezekwesili, a strong advocate in the campaign to bring them back, has vowed to never stop fighting.
Not Just Hard Work, But Heart Work
As incidents of gender-based violence increase in Africa, those like Nigeria’s Kemi Dasilva-Ibru, are trying to bring relief to stigmatized victims.
Going Down The Spice Route
Essie Bartels worked several odd jobs she hated before opening a company selling mouth-watering spices and sentiments to the world.
