Nursing the stigma : conflicting realities of abortion

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In 1996, South African women gained the right to exercise 'control over their bodiesthrough the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act (CTOPA). This was a crucialadvance for women, as it represented the recognition of reproductive rights by SouthAfrica's first democratically elected government. In 2018, despite having this publicservice available, many South African women still seek out informal abortion servicesor pay to have their pregnancy terminated at private healthcare facilities. With the legalframework of the CTOPA supporting a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy, thereshould be little need for additional services outside of the public healthcare sector, yetthe large number of advertisements for unaccredited abortion services plastered on thewalls of public transport and lamp posts suggest otherwise. Various explanations areoffered for why women do not make use of state-sanctioned, formal abortion services,including social stigmatization, religious dissuasion, and lack of knowledge ofavailable services. Another possible reason that deters South African women seekingto safely terminate their pregnancies is that public healthcare providers leave womenfeeling degraded and ashamed.In this thesis, however, I examine the experiences and perspectives of those who areinvolved in providing safe and legal abortion services and explore how these providersnavigate the moral ambiguities of a woman's right to choose. By spending time inthree non-governmental organization healthcare facilities, I reflect on the experiencesof Termination of Pregnancy providers in their everyday life – experiences that areconstituted and mediated by the various collectives with whom they identify and inwhich they form their individual moral codes. I do this to understand better how ethicaland moral dilemmas are negotiated and how this shapes the understanding of what itmeans to access the right to safe and legal termination of pregnancy.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University