MORE than 116 000 legal abortions have been performed in South Africa over the past three years, according to Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. In a written reply to a parliamentary question, tabled on Wednesday, she said a total of 116 611 “terminations of pregnancy” were performed in provincial state hospitals during 1998, 1999 and 2000. Of this total, 56 030 were carried out in Gauteng. Tshabalala-Msimang said estimates were not available for the number of illegal abortions carried out over the same period. “Research that has been carried out, however, shows that the number of seriously ill patients from specific abortion is reduced,” she said.