Reproductive Health & Rights

This landmark Act legalises termination of pregancy, and sets out South African law regrarding terminations.

The 2nd Ordinary Session of the Conference of African Ministers of Health, meeting in Gaborone, Botswana, in October 2005, adopted this, the Continental Policy Framework on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights which was endorsed by AU Heads of State in January 2006. The Continental Policy Framework on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights addresses the reproductive health and rights challenges faced by Africa. This Maputo Plan of Action for the Operationalisation of the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Continental Policy Framework seeks to take the continent forward towards the goal of universal access to comprehensive sexual andreproductive health services in Africa by 2015. It is a short term plan for the period up to 2010 built on nine action areas: Integration of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services into PHC, repositioning family planning, youth-friendly services, unsafe abortion, quality safe motherhood, resource mobilization, commodity security and monitoring and evaluation. The Plan is premised on SRH in its fullest context as defined at ICPD/PoA 1994 taking into account the life cycle approach. These elements of SRHR includes Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH); Safe Motherhood and newborn care; Abortion Care1; Family planning; Prevention and Management of Sexually Transmitted Infections including STI/HIV/AIDS; Prevention and Management of Infertility; Prevention and Management of Cancers of the Reproductive System; Addressing mid-life concerns of boys, girls, men and women; Health and Development; the Reduction of Gender-based Violence; Interpersonal Communication and Counselling; and Health education.

This report comprises an overview of the South Africa YMCA Adolescent Reproductive Health Program, as well as key evaluation findings, a detailed narrative of the evaluation methodology, the achievements and challenges, and future directions of the program. CEDPA provided support to the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) of to implement adolescent reproductive health programs in Gauteng/North West, Kwa Zulu Natal, Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces. This was the first national program to be implemented by the YMCA in post-apartheid South Africa.

Cancer of the cervix is a very common malignant disease in South African women. This cancer can mostly be prevented by the early detection of cancer precursors using regular screening (Pap smear) and gynecological check-ups.  Cancer of the cervix is often associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV), which mostly is sexually transmitted. The most common symptom of cancer of the cervix is abnormal vaginal bleeding.

"Cellulose sulphate gel appears to be "an effective vaginal contraceptive without many side effects," Dr Christine K. Mauck. In a preliminary study, Mauck and colleagues found that cellulose sulphate vaginal gel performed as well as nonoxynol-9. With time and further research, this vaginal contraceptive may become an alternative to the nonoxynol-9 based contraceptive gels currently available in the US, they suggest.

A cervical cancer vaccine has been given the go-ahead for use in South Africa, a pharmaceutical company has said. Glaxo SmithKline (GSK) said the vaccine had been approved and registered by the Medicines Control Council. An estimated 6 700 South African women develop cervical cancer every year.

The AMA supports public education efforts to help women recognize their important role in breast self-examination and to encourage them to report immediately to their physicians any changes that they notice. The AMA encourages physicians to educate their patients in the process of breast cancer detection, emphasizing the technique of self-examination of their breasts. Physicians requesting mammographic examinations should refer their patients to radiologists who use properly functioning equipment that provides the best image resolution at the lowest level of radiation exposure (less than one rad to mid breast for two views of both breasts). Physicians are encouraged to recognize the importance of mammography as an effective screening device to detect early breast cancer. The AMA encourages pharmaceutical companies to include in the packaging of their contraceptives, and all female hygiene products, materials which promote the package and correct techniques of breast self-examination, and which stress the importance of physician breast examinations and appropriate use of screening mammography.