The African Christian Democratic Party is proposing a bill to amend the Termination of Pregnancy Act to ensure women receiving an abortion after 12 weeks must first receive an ultra-sound and counselling.
The ACDP’s Cheryllyn Dudley said a mandatory ultrasound would show the women visuals of their foetus to help ensure they know what they are doing.
"It is a huge decision and a decision about life and death. They need information."
She also wants women considering abortion after 12 weeks to have counselling.
"We want to ensure that women who feel they don’t have any alternative can hear what options are available.
"The bill is to protect women at a very difficult time.
"We need to be society that provides a safety net to these women."
She also said they needed to be told about adoption as an option.
"No child should ever ever be a child that deserves to die simply because its parents feel they can't afford a child."
The bill is open for public comment until August 11. It will then be presented to a parliamentary private bill committee and likely opened for public hearings.
Asked if the failing health system was able to offer every woman wanting to terminate pregnancy an ultrasound‚ Dudley said: "South Africa needs to get with 21st century. It is a simple technology."
Marion Stevens, chair of the Sexual and Reproductive Justice Coalition, said of the bill: "I think the ACDP are trying to get relevance before 2019‚" when general elections will be held.
In any event‚ Stevens said‚ there was a shortage of state doctors willing to perform abortions.
"Because our health systems are falling apart‚ there isn’t anyone available to do it.
"In the Western Cape there are only three doctors who do it in the public sector."
- TimesLIVE
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