DOCUMENTS

The Reproductive Rights Alliance (RRA) is a nationalnon-profit network of 27 organisations and individuals,formed in 1995. The RRA is committed to ensuring women’s rights,especially their sexual and reproductive health and well being. Women need to be active participants in controlling their own lives,hence we need accessible and affordable facilities at grassroots level. The RRA will be submitting nationaland provincialsubmissions, together with member organisations. This submission is made together with some of our grassroots women’s organisations in Gauteng, namely VUKANI (Sebokeng), Kganya Women’s Consortium (Orange Farm) and the East Rands’s Women Group.

We believe that our submissionis relevant as it gives a voice to women who are often voiceless black working women in townships and ruralareas, those unemployed,working in survivalist projects, recipients of social grants, single parents, and working and living with HIV/AIDS.

We fully support the Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act (CTOP) of 1996 and the proposed Amendments to the extent that they provide for affordable and accessible service delivery to women to exercise their reproductive rights.

We support the CTOP Amendments for the following reasons:

1. The devolution and decentralisation of power to provinces/ MEG’s will speedup relevant decision-making related to improved service delivery related to the choice of termination of pregnancy, in all under-serviced areas.
2. The increase of accessible and affordable facilities and the training of relevant staff, especially nurses and midwives,will make CTOP service delivery for women more efficient and effective in urban and rural areas.
3. Ensuring that 24 hour maternity services and facilities meet designated requirements, will improve quality service delivery.
4. Recording information will ensure that services are monitored,and will assist in ensuring that grassroots women’s rights and needs are met.

We Call on the South African Government:

1. To have a national campaign on women’s rights, specifically with regards to the CTOP and the Amendments.This will create an enabling environment for women to exercise their rights inpublic life and in the home.This will assist women to confidently exercise their rights and their choices.

2. To increase the Health budget, specifically with regards to expenditure on accessible and affordable facilities, training and recruiting staff, to ensure quality service delivery.
3. To provide accessible and comprehensive family planning services to women in urban and rural areas.
4. Service delivery needs to include the democratic participation of grassroots women’s organisations at all levels.

Conclusion

We welcome the Act and call on Parliament to pass the Amendments -the consolidation of the provision of CTOP services to enable all women to exercise their rights in rural and urban