Friday 28 August 2026
JOHANNESBURG - Three women will spend the weekend behind bars after they were arrested for the alleged theft and illegal sale of termination-of-pregnancy medication.
It is alleged that the stolen medication was sold to women waiting in the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy (CTOP) queue at Stretford Community Health Centre in Orange Farm, Johannesburg.
Continued: https://www.enca.com/news/three-women-nabbed-alleged-illegal-sale-abortion-pills
Course was one of 14 faculty-led education abroad programs offered by the College of the Liberal Arts this summer
July 27, 2026
by Divya Jyoti
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Eight Penn State undergraduates gained firsthand experience in nonprofit and activist work in Cape Town, South Africa, this summer as part of the three-week faculty-led program WMNST 399: The Quest for Reproductive Justice in South Africa.
The course — one of 14 faculty-led education abroad programs offered in the College of the Liberal Arts this summer — was designed and led by Susanne M. Klausen, Brill Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) and of African studies in the College of the Liberal Arts, alongside co-leader Camille Sluzis, sexual assault and relationship violence coordinator at Penn State’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).
Moyahabo Mabeba
July 6, 2026
An 18-year-old from rural Limpopo says she was denied a legal abortion at a public clinic last month, after a nurse refused to help her on religious grounds, leaving her to seek an illegal abortion from a traditional healer.
In May, the matriculant from Makotopong village, says she missed her period and suspected she was pregnant.
“The moment I missed my menstruation, I just suspected that there was something wrong. I confided in my cousin, and she suggested that we buy a pregnancy test kit from a pharmacy. The kit confirmed the pregnancy.”
Continued: https://health-e.org.za/2026/07/06/limpopo-teen-religious-objection-clinic-unsafe-abortion/
By Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane
28th June 2026
Women in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape travel up to 300km to access reproductive healthcare services, with many subsequently being denied the right to terminate pregnancies with dignity.
A report by Section 27 and the Centre for Child Law found that some healthcare workers are denying women legal abortions, on the basis of moral and religious beliefs.
June 12, 2026
Ipas
Child marriage, teen pregnancy and school dropout remain persistent challenges in South Africa, with girls and young women disproportionately affected. UNICEF estimates that about 250,000 learners drop out of school each year. The Department of Social Development in the country links many of these dropouts to child marriage and teen pregnancy, reporting that 4% of girls are married before age 18.
Against this backdrop, we’ve been building momentum, leadership and partnerships to address the impacts of child marriage, teen pregnancy and school dropout in the country. In May 2025, we held a high level gathering in South Africa, bringing together nearly 40 members of parliament from G20 countries and Eastern and Southern Africa to discuss the economic benefits of investing in women’s health. The gathering was part of Ipas’s longer-term strategy to build legislative support for sexual and reproductive health and rights, following the 2024 launch of the Eastern and Southern Africa Parliamentary Caucus.
Continued: https://www.ipas.org/news/south-africa-child-marriage-teen-pregnancy-school-dropout/
A woman's decision to have an abortion is rarely simple, as many factors can influence or necessitate a woman’s need or decision to have an abortion.
By Mariam Ahmed
Apr 3, 2026
At 185 deaths per 100,000 abortion, Africa had the highest abortion fatality rate of any world region in 2019. Ongoing efforts by different African countries to both improve abortion safety and expand access to quality post-abortion care through abortion laws in Africa, have contributed to a decline in the rate of maternal deaths due to unsafe abortions in individual countries.
A woman’s decision to have an abortion is rarely simple, as many factors can influence or necessitate a woman’s need or decision to have an abortion. The circumstances that can lead to it varies: contraceptive failure, limited access to family planning, rape, incest, fetal anomalies, illness during pregnancy, or exposure to medications that pose serious risks to a developing fetus. In some cases, the decision is not a choice at all. Pregnancy complications such as placental abruption and severe cardiac or renal conditions can escalate to the point where terminating the pregnancy is not an option being considered, it is the only measure that can preserve a woman’s health or save her life.
Continued: https://culturecustodian.com/five-african-countries-with-somewhat-progressive-abortion-laws/
After commemorating International Human Rights Day on 10 December, a look at how Western-influenced right-wing movements are gaining traction in Africa and are using so-called traditional family values to undermine sexual and reproductive health rights and LGBTQIA+ rights.
By Sesona Buyeye and Duduetsang Mmeti
16 Dec 2025
Across the world, right-wing movements – often cloaked in the language of “moral and religious preservation” and “anti-wokeness” – are pushing back against progressive human rights advancing reproductive freedoms for women, girls and queer people.
Alarmingly, these movements are also gaining traction across parts of Africa, where significant strides have been made in embracing democracy, advancing constitutionalism and advocating non-racialism and reproductive freedoms in the post-colonial era.
Most citizens endorse making contraceptives available regardless of people’s age or marital status.
Rehan Visser
28 Nov 2025
… A special question module in Afrobarometer’s Round 10 survey (2025) explores the opinions and experiences of South Africans related to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Most citizens think women should have autonomy in making decisions regarding marriage and reproduction.
Large majorities support making contraceptives available to everyone who is sexually active regardless of age or marital status. More than eight in 10 agree that girls who become pregnant or have children should be allowed to continue their education, while a similar proportion support sex education in school.
28 September 2025
The Namibian (Windhoek)
As the world marks International Safe Abortion Day, an alarm has been raised over the staggering prevalence of unsafe abortions worldwide, urging decisive action to ensure women and girls have access to safe and legal abortion services.
Gynaecologist Dr Koketso Pule, speaking on Sunday during an interview on Newsroom Afrika, highlighted the critical risks associated with unsafe abortions, stating that globally approximately 45% of abortions are performed unsafely. She stated that this contributes to an estimated 3% of preventable maternal deaths, according to the World Health Organisation.
By Bhekisisa Team
May 19, 2025
They were wrapped in plastic or foil or a piece of clothing, tucked inside a backpack or pulled from a burnt pile of rubbish. Those were some of the ways the remains of newborns and foetuses were found before being taken to the Diepkloof Forensic Pathology Service in Soweto.
Although discoveries like these rarely make the news, they are a regular occurrence. The bodies are found in open veld, public toilets and landfills across South Africa.
To help figure out why, researchers from Wits University gathered data about the remains that landed up at the Diepkloof facility from 2020 to 2021 and in 2023. They hope by tracking where the bodies were found and the causes of death, they will better understand why so many women take desperate measures instead of seeking legal and safe abortions.
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