July 12, 12:16pm
WARNING: While the content in the video above is not graphic, the stories told may upset sensitive viewers.
We interviewed five South African women from different walks of life. Watch them talk us through some of the most emotional moments of their lives.
Each of the women interviewed have experienced at least one abortion. They explain the mental and physical experience, and talk us through operations that were performed both legally and illegally.
"It was a really hard decision for me," one of our anonymous interviewees says, as she explains that her partner wasn't interested in being a father. "I was young, and I didn't know what to do, I was scared as well," another woman says.
Some of the women chose to have illegal abortions due to the stigma around the procedure, lack of funds and a lack of information. Other women went the legal route, but told us they experienced shaming nonetheless.
All of these women hope that their stories will help educate women in South Africa about the importance of safe abortions.
Source: News24, South Africa