Every year, hundreds of newborns and foetuses are found dumped in the open veld, dumps and public toilets.
Abandonment is often because of a lack of options. When mothers feel desperate, they may choose to dispose of their newborns.
While it’s difficult to track exact numbers, some experts estimate that abandoned babies and foetuses make up 2% of the 70,000 unnatural deaths recorded in South Africa annually.
Autopsies reveal that most foetuses found abandoned are not developed enough to survive outside the womb.
Despite our liberal abortion laws, many things make it hard to get a safe abortion, such as long waiting lists, lots of admin, understaffed state clinics and stigma.
Some fall prey to unethical practitioners offering fake pills and unreliable procedures that put their health and lives at risk.
Reproductive health experts say there should be more campaigns that tell people about contraception and also safe abortions. Training healthcare workers to provide non-judgmental care could help reduce unintended pregnancies.
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