Last week I posted a piece about the problem of illegal back street abortions in Africa (Back Street Abortions in Africa). I also recently posted another piece on changes in marital law in Botswana that abolishes the law that gives husband power over their wives. However despite the changes in laws discriminating against women, a woman’s right to choose to give birth are not for changing or at least only minimally. An amendment to the 1991 Penal Code Act allows abortion in "exceptional circumstances such as rape or when the health of the mother or baby are at risk" and only if the abortion takes place within the first 16 weeks.
The maximum punishment for abortion is 7 years. As a result the number of women who have committed illegal abortions is on the increase as elsewhere in Africa. Illegal abortions are often carried out by traditional doctors or elderly women and often in unsanitary conditions. According to the report, teenage girls have been using their own methods of inducement taking substances like potassium in the hope of having an abortion.
The Botswana minister for residential affairs (not sure what that involves) does not support abortion and is quoted as saying
"getting pregnant is a personal choice" and that the law should not be amended "just to encourage irresponsible behaviour" and "having sex is a choice as such if both parties choose not to take precautions, then they have made a choice".
The minister is clearly out of touch with reality. We women all know that "having sex" is not always a choice - teenagers being pursued by older men offering them money, education etc, women in abusive relationships, women who are poor and have no other way of surviving, and how easy is it to prove rape? how easy is it to actually report being raped and what happens to many women who do so? – the list goes on. As usual the "moralisers" are out in force denouncing abortion as murder and asking why the rapist isn’t put to death rather than the innocent child. That is not the point. The point is women should be able to choose and when they are unable to do so they put themselves at further risk by having back street abortions. No amount of preaching about the morality of abortions will prevent illegal abortions. That can only stop when abortions are legal and freely available to all that choose to have them.
"Something drastic has to be done because many women in our society carry a lot of baggage. Women who keep their children conceived out of rape live with the shame of voicing out their resentment towards their own flesh and blood. It is just too much to deal with, but yet these women go on everyday with life like everything is fine. Serious counselling is needed by many of these women and there is not enough of it,"
Director of Botshabelo Rehabilitation Crisis Centre (BORECC), Botho Ntswanengve
Last week I posted a piece about the problem of illegal back street abortions in Africa (Back Street Abortions in Africa). I also recently posted another piece on changes in marital law in Botswana that abolishes the law that gives husband power over their wives. However despite the changes in laws discriminating against women, a woman's right to choose to give birth are not for changing or at least only minimally. An amendment to the 1991 Penal Code Act allows abortion in "exceptional circumstances such as rape or when the health of the mother or baby are at risk" and only if the abortion takes place within the first 16 weeks.
The maximum punishment for abortion is 7 years. As a result the number of women who have committed illegal abortions is on the increase as elsewhere in Africa. Illegal abortions are often carried out by traditional doctors or elderly women and often in unsanitary conditions. According to the report, teenage girls have been using their own methods of inducement taking substances like potassium in the hope of having an abortion.
The Botswana minister for residential affairs (not sure what that involves) does not support abortion and is quoted as saying
"getting pregnant is a personal choice" and that the law should not be amended "just to encourage irresponsible behaviour" and "having sex is a choice as such if both parties choose not to take precautions, then they have made a choice".
The minister is clearly out of touch with reality. We women all know that "having sex" is not always a choice - teenagers being pursued by older men offering them money, education etc, women in abusive relationships, women who are poor and have no other way of surviving, and how easy is it to prove rape? how easy is it to actually report being raped and what happens to many women who do so? - the list goes on. As usual the "moralisers" are out in force denouncing abortion as murder and asking why the rapist isn't put to death rather than the innocent child. That is not the point. The point is women should be able to choose and when they are unable to do so they put themselves at further risk by having back street abortions. No amount of preaching about the morality of abortions will prevent illegal abortions. That can only stop when abortions are legal and freely available to all that choose to have them. "Something drastic has to be done because many women in our society carry a lot of baggage. Women who keep their children conceived out of rape live with the shame of voicing out their resentment towards their own flesh and blood. It is just too much to deal with, but yet these women go on everyday with life like everything is fine. Serious counselling is needed by many of these women and there is not enough of it,"
Director of Botshabelo Rehabilitation Crisis Centre (BORECC), Botho Ntswanengve
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African Women
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