The research is a descriptive study of the unique and diverse experiences of women who terminated their pregnancy according to the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, No 92 of 1996. It traced the psycho-social experiences of the participants from the point of discovery to the actual abortion. The decision to terminate their pregnancy was not an easy one, yet participants chose this plan of action on the basis of their socio-economic circumstances. Moral and financial support was offered to participants from their partners, friends and/or significant others whilst no therapeutic counselling was provided prior to their making the decision to terminate their pregnancy, or the actual termination. Pre-abortion counselling was offered pre-dominantly at private health care institutions whilst none of the health care facilities provided post abortion counselling. Many of the participants had to not only endure the emotional pain of their decision but also the judgmental attitudes of the health care professionals who performed the abortion procedure. Participants were unable to make informed choices regarding the choice of abortion methods. As a result they were also unprepared for the intense physical pain they endured during the procedure. The study used the descriptive research design and a qualitative methodology. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the thirteen participants. Data were obtained through the semi-structured interview schedule. The ages of the participants ranged between 19-31 years. The study concluded that the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, No 92 of 1996 was necessary but that inadequate resources hampered provision of holistic services. In addition the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, No 92 of 1996 does not stipulate that pre and post abortion counselling should be a pre-requisite to access abortion services. This lack of counselling resulted in participants reliance on the medical professionals choice of abortion technique which in most cases was not what participants preferred. This research therefore, advocates the need for medical professionals to provide adequate information to as well as attending to the psycho-social implications for women who request to terminate their pregnancy. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2000.

Abortion is one of the issues that elicits relatively controversial debates around the globe. These debates revolve around the pro-life and pro-choice stances, moral and religious issues, backstreet abortion, the role of fathers in decision-making and constitutional issues, among others. Therefore, there is a variety of factors that may influence the way individuals perceive abortion. Race, religious affiliation, and religiosity have been found to play a role in determining the attitudes of individuals towards abortion. For instance, racial and religious differences in abortion attitudes among the South African public are reported (Patel, Ramgoon & Paruk, 2009; Rule, 2004). However, research on attitudes towards abortion demonstrates its complex nature and provides somewhat conflicting evidence. Varga (2002) makes the point that while it is important to understand both male and female perspectives on abortion, very little is known about boys‟ attitudes towards abortion, thus the motivation for this research study. Consequently, the aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes of young male learners towards abortion taking into consideration their race, religion and religiosity. Findings indicate that young male learners generally have high religiosity levels and show negative attitudes towards abortion across race and religion. The religious and racial differences in abortion attitudes of male learners were also explored and revealed significant differences amongst the groups, with the Islamic group obtaining the highest levels of abortion opposition for different reasons when compared to Africans and Hindus. In line with past research (Patel & Johns, 2009; Patel & Kooverjee, 2009; Patel & Myeni, 2008), these findings indicate that the higher the religiosity level, the more negative the attitudes towards abortion. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Adolescents have become focal points of discussions and debates regarding sexuality and reproductive health matters. However, little research has been done particularly in South Africa to examine their knowledge concerning abortion and emergency contraception. Research indicates that a substantial proportion of adolescent pregnancies are unintended or unwanted. Abortion and emergency contraception are both time-sensitive services. Thus having accurate and comprehensive knowledge about both abortion and emergency contraception is pivotal, in the case of unintended or unwanted pregnancy or when engaging in unprotected sex or experiencing contraceptive failure that could lead to pregnancy. The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) defined reproductive health rights for both men and women as the right to "decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so" (p. 60). That is, men and women should "have the right to make decisions concerning their reproduction free of discrimination, violence and coercion" (ICPD, 1994, p.60). Based on these definitions, it is rather evident that comprehensive and accurate knowledge are at the core of one's ability to make an informed consent. This is confirmed by Adler's (1992, p. 289) definition of informed consent or choice "a) access to sufficient information b) understanding the information c) competence to evaluate potential consequences d) freedom to make a choice and e) the ability to make and express that choice". It is from this framework that this study emerged. The aim of this study was to examine adolescents' knowledge concerning abortion and emergency contraception. The participants were Grade 11 learners between the ages of 15-24 years from five different schools in the Buffalo City Municipality. A sample of 514 was achieved. Data were analysed using descriptive cross-tabulation, chi-square and qualitative methods where appropriate. The results revealed that most of the participants did not have sufficient accurate knowledge concerning the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, consequences of legal abortion and emergency contraceptive pills to make informed decisions. Furthermore, data also revealed that the participants' schools playa role in their sexual activity, their knowledge about the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act and about emergency contraceptive pills. Although this method made it feasible for the researcher to make general assumptions, non-responses were one of the limitations of the study. Similar research in various municipalities/cities in and outside the Eastern Cape is recommended so as to increase further awareness concerning the level of knowledge that adolescents have about contraceptive pills particularly emergency contraceptive pills, the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act and abortion in general.