Browsing by Author "Mwatilifange, Sarah N."

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    A comparative study of men and women's attitudes towards the legalization of availability of abortion on demand: The case of Youth Centres in Katutura, Windhoek
    (University of Namibia, 2017) Mwatilifange, Sarah N.
    Unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortions are two of the most controversial topics in Namibia. Due to these controversies, the debate on the legalization of the availability of abortion on demand should be brought back into the spotlight. The aim of this research was to unveil men’s and women’s attitudes towards the legalization of the availability of abortion on demand. The target group were youth from five Katutura youth centres. The data were collected with the use of closed-ended questionnaires. The reviewed literature indicates that abortions have always existed throughout human history. Nonetheless, the literature indicates that restrictive abortion laws have been proven to fail in regulating abortion. The findings confirmed the occurrence of illegal abortions in Namibia. The study has revealed that despite the reality of illegal abortions, respondents would not necessarily advocate for abortion to be legalized on demand. The statistics of the respondents who would advocate for abortion on demand were significantly low; however, the percentage for females was higher than that of males. The study found that despite the knowledge of the risks associated with illegal abortions and the struggle that women and girls go through to terminate unwanted pregnancies, the majority of respondents would still advocate for the current restrictive abortion laws. It further revealed that the target group would not necessarily advocate for abortion on demand. This confirms previous government assertions that most Namibians would not favour a change in the law. On the other hand, a significant number of respondents revealed that the current restrictions on abortion have only proven to be a failure. The results are therefore contradictory. This study has attempted to bring to light the importance of legalizing abortion on demand as part of promoting maternal health. Abortion remains a controversial issue. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommends that there is a need to educate society about the actual dangers that are associated with unsafe and illegal abortions. The study further recommends that there is a need to advocate for women’s reproductive rights. Women need to control their fertility and whether or not to have a baby still remains a struggle as it is not a choice.
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    Reproductive justice in the face of conservatism: Youth attitudes towards abortion on demand
    (University of Namibia, 2017) Mwatilifange, Sarah N.; Edwards-Jauch, Lucy
    The right to life and reproductive health has been firmly established by a number of international human rights and gender equality instruments to which Namibia is a signatory. Human rights and reproductive justice frameworks affirm women’s right to bodily integrity and reproductive autonomy without violence, coercion or discrimination on the basis of race, class, ethnicity or disability. The restrictive Namibian abortion law infringes upon all these rights. It is particularly discriminatory against poor and mainly black women who do not have the means to seek safe and legal abortions outside the borders of the country. The high levels of morbidity and mortality related to unsafe illegal abortions show that criminllisation does not stop illegal abortions from taking place. Government has made some attempts at re-viewing the outdated law, but progress has been stymied by politically conservative attitudes and the lack of awareness of gender equality and reproductive rights. Although people (in this case youth) are aware of the risks of unsafe illegal abortions to women’s lives and health, they do not see a need for change. This raises broader questions about the status of women in our society and whether women’s lives matter.