An examination of the relationship between public opinion and public policy in South Africa : the case of abortion

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:A democratic political system grants unimpaired opportunities for all citizens to have their preferencesweighted equally in the conduct of government regardless of content or source. However, governments indemocratic political systems frequently disregard public preference. But all governments, not only populargovernments, are dependent on the 'will of the people' if the system is to remain viable. This studyinvestigates the relationship between public opinion and public policy in South Africa, using the 1996 Choiceon Termination of Pregnancy Act as case study, as it provides a practical example to illustrate this complexrelationship. The study used a longitudinal approach to investigate shifts in public opinion over a period offive years, using secondary survey analysis. Attitudes towards abortion are cross-tabulated by demographicvariables, religion, interest in politics and democratic norms. The study found that the most significant shiftsin public opinion occurred within demographic groups previously discriminated against by the 1975 Abortionand Sterilisation Act.In 1994 South Africa emerged from a lengthy anti-apartheid struggle and human rights were of paramountimportance to many South Africans. The restrictive abortion legislation of 1975 was vestige of discriminativeapartheid legislation and was not in line with South Africa's exemplary 1996 Constitution. Consequently,progressive abortion legislation was ratified, amidst significant public indifference, in order to promote equalcitizenship of women. It is argued that abortion constitutes a basic democratic right, in the context ofreproductive health rights, and although South African citizens predominantly support a democratic politicalsystem, few made the ideological connection with abortion as a democratic right. Therefore, the study infersthat the South African electorate is ill informed of the ideological norms surrounding democracy.The significance of this study is that it investigated abortion not as a legal or moral issue, but as a politicisedissue in South Africa. The African National Congress (ANC) was strongly committed to advancingprogressive abortion legislation in South Africa. The ANC elected to vote on a party platform on the proposedabortion bill. When a majority party, which holds 252 seats of 400 in the National Assembly, elects to vote asa block on proposed legislation, it is likely that the legislation will be passed into law. This conduct of theANC raises fears that South Africa is a de facto one-party dominant state, where free and fair elections areheld, but no rotation in office occurs. Both the 1994 and 1999 elections led to landslide victories for the ANC,and they are assured that the 2003 elections will yield the same result. It is extremely damaging to anydemocratic system when competition but no contestation occurs. Therefore, it becomes increasingly difficultto distinguish between state and party interests. The study concludes that in the case of progressive abortionlegislation in South Africa, the people did not rule. It is the view of this study that the enactment of the Choiceon Termination of Pregnancy Act did not represent democratic conduct. It illustrates that the Choice onTermination of Pregnancy Act was, by implication, bulldozed into law by the ANC.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University