October 15, 2004 South African Provincial Parliament Information The Government is proceeding with the liberalisation of the abortion law (final debate on the Amendment Bill scheduled for November 4th in the National Assembly) in a manner which can only lead to the conclusion that they are still in hot pursuit of their campaign to put increasing pressure on pro-life health professionals to do their abortions for them. The nurses union, DENOSA, have repeatedly said that two-thirds of their members are against abortion, and it is clear that government strategy is to bulldoze the Amendment Act through against the will of the majority of South Africans as they did in 1996, and without a clause that ensures conscientious objectors are exempt from participating. Doctors For Life International(DFL) questions the legality of the process going on in the Provinces this past week where the public and interested bodies like DFL are denied the right to make submissions on the Bill; this applies to other Bills also, such as the Traditional Healers Bill. Furthermore, certainly in the case of KZN, members of Parliament were only given a few days notice of their Health Committee briefings. The purpose of the new Bill is to make abortions more accessible but no attempt whatsoever has been made to rectify the appalling deficiencies of the present legislation where the mandatory provisions as to counselling and obtaining the patient’s informed consent are often flagrantly ignored. It was well known at the time of the initiation of these new amendments, that the purpose was to make more doctors and nurses willing to take part in abortions. For that purpose, some pro-abortion lobbies actually initiated and financed the process by requesting the hearings. In spite of the fact that its purpose is to increase the demand for abortions, nothing has been done to ensure personnel will be available to carry out the task. Hence the pressure on health professionals to take part, regardless of their consciences. DFL fears that the State will lose many of its most trusted and conscientious health workers if this pressure continues without a clear and unequivocal ‘conscience clause’ being added to the Bill as exists in other jurisdictions, such as the UK . Conscience has been called the most sacred of all property, and it is especially vital to sustain reliable and trustworthy health professionals. DFL would like to respectfully warn the government that failure to add such a clause may lead to lawsuits in the future. History shows that unpopular legislation inevitably backfires; first in the court of public opinion, and then in the law courts. The irony of trampling on individual liberties and constitutional rights under the banner of ‘choice’ will not be lost on our citizens. South African Provincial Parliament Information ### For more information, contact Heinrich Botes (072 219 1962) or John Smyth QC, legal spokesperson (083 653 8804). Doctors For Life International represent more than 1000 medical doctors and specialists; three-quarters of whom practice in South Africa . Doctors For Life was founded as a South African organisation in 1991 and has spread across the globe. DFL is involved in several community projects including orphan care, the care of terminal AIDS patients, malaria prevention and the care of abused women. Please go to: www.doctorsforlifeinternational.com for more information about these projects.
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