Overview

Accessing abortion services in rural areas under conditions of liberal abortion legislation is neither straightforward nor simple. As the South African example shows, the liberalisation of abortion legislation was the first step in granting pregnant persons access to abortion care. Despite this and some progress in implementation, many challenges persist resulting in a lack of services, especially in areas where distances and transport costs are a factor.Drawing on the findings of a study conducted in three rural districts of the Eastern Cape, the authors highlight the complexities involved in understanding problematic or unwanted pregnancies and abortion services within these communities; the reported barriers to, and facilitators of, access to abortion services among rural populations; and preferences for types of abortion services. A key finding is the conundrum of costs versus confidentiality: lack of confidentiality involves additional costs to access services outside the area; high costs mean that confidentiality may have to be foregone, which leads to stigma. The authors place the findings within a reparative reproductive justice framework and present a comprehensive set of recommendations. Abortion Services and Reproductive Justice in Rural South Africa is an insightful and informative resource – the first of its kind – for scholars in health and sociology, reproductive health policy makers, national planners, health facility managers and providers, and activists.

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9781776148738

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""This is a timely resource highlighting many interrelated obstacles which continue to stand between individuals and their sexual and reproductive health rights. The authors provide a pragmatic way forward towards various facets of abortion care. I highly recommend this book to scholars, researchers, health practitioners, human rights advocates, legal practitioners, policymakers and political leaders, and civil society.""--Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, and Distinguished Lecturer, O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law ""Ulandi du Plessis and Catriona Ida Macleod provide a wide-ranging, incisive examination of the multiple and complex challenges facing women in rural areas in South Africa who need abortions. Their comprehensive analysis illustrates the possibilities of how unsafe abortions can be addressed, maternal mortality reduced, and reproductive justice achieved. This book should be essential reading for all students, scholars, policymakers and activists tasked with understanding both the challenges of and solutions to unsafe abortion in rural areas in South Africa and beyond. -""--Dr Fiona Bloomer, Course Director: Health and Social Care Policy, School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences, Ulster University

"""This is a timely resource highlighting many interrelated obstacles which continue to stand between individuals and their sexual and reproductive health rights. The authors provide a pragmatic way forward towards various facets of abortion care. I highly recommend this book to scholars, researchers, health practitioners, human rights advocates, legal practitioners, policymakers and political leaders, and civil society.""--Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, and Distinguished Lecturer, O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law ""Ulandi du Plessis and Catriona Ida Macleod provide a wide-ranging, incisive examination of the multiple and complex challenges facing women in rural areas in South Africa who need abortions. Their comprehensive analysis illustrates the possibilities of how unsafe abortions can be addressed, maternal mortality reduced, and reproductive justice achieved. This book should be essential reading for all students, scholars, policymakers and activists tasked with understanding both the challenges of and solutions to unsafe abortion in rural areas in South Africa and beyond. -""--Dr Fiona Bloomer, Course Director: Health and Social Care Policy, School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences, Ulster University"

Author Information

Ulandi du Plessis is Senior Researcher and Programme Manager at the Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction research programme at Rhodes University, South Africa. Catriona Ida Macleod is Distinguished Professor of Psychology and SARChI Chair of Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction at Rhodes University, South Africa.

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