Abortion Services and Reproductive Justice in Rural South Africa

Ulandi du Plessis (Author) 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 (Author) Catriona Ida Macleod is Distinguished Professor of Psychology and SARChI Chair of Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction at Rhodes University, South Africa

• List of Figures and TablesAcknowledgementsAbbreviations and AcronymsNote on TerminologyIntroduction: Setting the sceneChapter 1 ‘If it is legal these days, I do not know’: Knowledge of abortion legislation and servicesChapter 2 Aborting a pregnancy: The complexity of the decision-making processChapter 3 Sin, injury and discord: Community attitudes and understandings of abortionChapter 4 ‘And the story spread’: Abortion stigma in rural South AfricaChapter 5 Barriers to having an abortion in rural South AfricaChapter 6 The conundrum of confidentiality versus cost: Abortion service provision preferencesConclusion: Implications and future directionsNotesBibliographyIndex

"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