MEC leads campaign against back-street abortions

MEC for Health, Phophi Ramathuba joined youths and departmental officials who attended a Youth Day celebration organised by the department, to remove notices and advertisements for abortions, penis enlargements and other medical procedures stuck to electrical boxes and lamp poles in the city on Tuesday.
This was done to rid the city of and show their dissatisfaction with illegal advertisements being stuck on electric boxes and lamp poles all over the city. Earlier the day she told youths attending the Youth Day celebrations that it was estimated that nearly 2 000 girls and young women between the ages of 15 and 24 get infected by HIV in the country each week.

Ramathuba said it should be noted that the issue of teenage pregnancy, substance abuse and HIV/Aids infection have been elevated to the Office of the Presidency and said: “The launch of this campaign – led by young people for young people – is an important milestone in our country’s journey towards youth empowerment and the achievement of an Aids-free generation.”
This innovative campaign aims to mobilise all sectors of society to address five critical challenges facing young people including the high number of new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women, high rates of teenage pregnancy, poor retention of learners in high schools, high rates of sexual and gender based violence, and high rates of youth unemployment.
“Despite our remarkable success in saving lives through the provision of free treatment for people living with HIV and Aids, it is estimated that nearly 2 000 girls and young women between the ages of 15 and 24 get infected by HIV in the country each week,” she said. “Young people, with the support of their parents, caregivers, communities and government, will be at the centre of national efforts to keep girls in school until matric,” she referred to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s words of guidance and wisdom.
She said as department they have adopted the slogan ‘It is not Ayoba, to have sex without a condom’.
“It is a fact that the use of condoms is a last resort if a young person is unable to abstain or be faithful by having one partner. We also emphasise effective contraception (dual protection) which prevents unwanted pregnancies which often end in unsafe and dangerous backstreet abortions.”
She said it has come to the department’s attention that some young women prefer to use abortion as a form of contraception, especially using the backyard processes. “Such are some of the contributory factors to the high rate of maternal mortality in our province and cannot be allowed to continue,” she said.
The departmental vision is that every woman in the province shall have access to safe quality termination of pregnancy services when faced with a challenge of an unwanted pregnancy as well as access to other reproductive health services,” she said. “Reducing the morbidity and mortality of women in childbirth is one of the ten strategic objectives of the National Department of Health.
“Recognising the values of human dignity, the achievement of equality, security of the person, non-racialism and non-sexism, and the advancement of human rights and freedoms which underlie a democratic South Africa she cautioned youths to be patient, get educated and wait for the adulthood to reach you, not run after it.”

Story and photos: NELIE ERASMUS
>>nelie.observer@gmail.com

Featured photo: MEC Phophi Ramathuba hard at work to fight the scourge of illegal backstreet abortions being advertised openly.