An abortion of sexual ethics
Eddie Mhlanga’s article: “Abortion: A road to Damascus” (September 30) was gravely disappointing.
He implies that South Africa’s hang-up with abortion is a superstition inherited from our former colonial masters. But the opposite is true: abortion is the work of right-wing imperialists and eugenicists. Take note of the original aims and intentions of two of the most significant women in the pro-choice movement.
Marie Stopes, who gives her name to abortion clinics (which receive funding from the European Union), proposed abortion as a means to cull the propagation of inferior classes. She famously dedicated an anthology of her poetry to Hitler.
Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood in the United States, was quoted as saying: “We should hire three or four coloured ministers, preferably with social-service backgrounds and with engaging personalities …We don’t want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the negro population.”
Mhlanga rightly points out that Christians should be more willing to adopt unwanted children, but he ignores the fact that abortion-on-demand is part of the culture that creates unwanted children in the first place. When sexuality becomes a game of pleasure instead of uniting husband and wife then the natural result of sex — children — is going to be unwanted. By aborting them one is taking innocent human lives and acting as an accessory to the crisis of sexual ethics in our country.
Ultimately, the issue hinges on this question: Is the unborn child a human being or not? If yes, abortion is murder. If not, abortion is licit. Mhlanga does not even broach the question. — Chris Waldburger
Mhlanga’s article powerfully reflects the tragic results of the disintegration of family life in our nation. Sexual abuse of women and children has become a source of much suffering and the failure of men to nurture their children is widespread.
But has abortion proved to be a solution? Not really. Now, large numbers of people, some licensed, others not, are giving out medication to procure abortion without proper assessment of the patient or a proper safety net should complications arise.
Our failure to police the legislation means that unsafe abortion remains the cause of the great majority of the abortion-related deaths in the nation. Its availability has also unfortunately become grounds for women to be pressured to have unsafe sex because “you can always have an abortion if you get pregnant”.
There is good research from a number of countries showing that the abortion experience sparks a form of post-traumatic stress disorder in many women, their men, even in healthcare providers. It can lead to anger, self-contempt and depression.
What is the way out? We must change the nature of our national dialogue and set our sights on rebuilding stable families.
Then we should support in every way possible the work of pregnancy-crisis centres, which exist to help couples with unwanted pregnancies find a better solution than abortion and use their experience to grow in sexual maturity and improve their relationships. These are long-term responses, but they are without destructive side effects and will produce lasting results. — Dr JV Larsen, Howick
Mhlanga’s forthright article on abortion draws attention to several crucial issues relating to the provision of reproductive healthcare in South Africa. Our laws relating to termination of pregnancy are among the most progressive in the world, but Mhlanga makes the point that fervent opposition to providing abortions remains — both from the public and from healthcare workers. One result is that high numbers of women continue to seek “back-street” abortions. One study shows that about half the abortions performed in South Africa are begun “illegally”, that is, outside the formal health sector.
The ubiquity of posters advertising these services points to continued demand. Whatever one’s moral stance on abortion, the public health imperative of providing access to comprehensive reproductive health services remains. Until women are able to get legal, safe termination-of-pregnancy services without social and medical barriers, the high demand for and supply of illegal abortions with related complications will continue. — Dr Margaret Hoffman, Women’s Health Research Unit, University of Cape Town; Dr Rebecca Hodes, Aids and Society Research Unit, UCT; Professor Diane Cooper, Women’s Health Research Unit, UCT
China wins, yet again
Once again, as in 2009, South Africa is haunted by the Dalai Lama’s intention to visit this country (“Doubts over Dalai Lama’s visit — again”, September 30).
Our government has been pressed by liberals, by some sections of civic society and by some eminent people to account for every detail in the process of the department of international relations and co-operation’s granting of a visa to the Dalai Lama.
This matter has been so over-inflated in the public space that opportunistic anti-government elements are stampeding to occupy space as Desmond Tutu’s and the Dalai Lama’s new friends.
Thanks to the Dalai Lama for cancelling, thereby putting it all to rest.
We were here before — in 2009 during Kgalema Motlanthe’s short presidency. The prevailing conditions of 2009, which led to the refusal of a visa for the Dalai Lama, are as solid today as they were then.
The reality is that in direct country-to-country relations China is our key strategic partner, both economically and politically. This is a relationship pregnant with massive material future benefit for both partners and underpinned by a good political relationship. Foreign policy and our national interest as a country will always be primary, even if we have to make heavy-hearted decisions. — Khaye Nkwanyana, South African Communist Party provincial executive member, KwaZulu-Natal
All the old tricks used by the former National Party regime are now being greedily assimilated by the ANC in government.
It doesn’t even have the courage of its convictions, if it has any convictions left, to refuse the Dalai Lama a visa, but by prevarication and procrastination it forces him to cancel his plans to visit South Africa. — John Brodrick
Now we know what the Chinese government was whispering in Jacob Zuma’s ear when he last paid them a visit.
“We own you. Who d’ya think made that suit? Who d’ya think’s buying up all your natural resources like there’s no tomorrow? Who d’ya think is shipping guns to your neighbours? Taking over your high streets with cheap plastic junk?
Bottom line, Zuma — if we catch you going lame on the Lama, we’ll break your country like a fortune cookie. Now shake my hand.” — Neil Goodwin
AU or not, Africa is not really united
The term “African Union” implies Africans are united within the AU, but look at the actions of our African leaders and you can see that is not the case (“Five myths of Libyan intervention“, September 30). Just because we are on one continent does not necessarily mean we are united.
There is no real unity in Africa, especially with regard to economic and political interests. Thus it is important to introduce an ideology that will help to strengthen unity on the continent. Unless we are united by an economic and political ideology that favours workers and the poor of Africa, the West will always abuse Africa, because it has superior military power. African leaders are quick to sell out their fellow Africans, as happened in Libya.
We need to create real unity among Africans and repel all attacks by imperialists. — Mafika Vilakazi, Soweto
Praise for Nobel winners
I would like to recognise the importance of the work undertaken by the three scientists — Bruce Beutler, Jules Hoffman and Ralph Steinman — who were named winners of the 2011 Nobel Prize for physiology and medicine on Monday. Sadly, Ralph Steinman passed away last week and will receive the award posthumously.
Beutler and Hoffman discovered how the human body switches on innate or natural immunity that prevents disease and Steinman how the body expels disease-causing micro-organisms after being infected.
The discoveries have enabled the development of new methods for preventing and treating disease. They are of the greatest consequence for African countries (and, more broadly, countries of the south), burdened as we are with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/Aids.
It is now up to us to turn the discoveries into effective medical therapies. With proper support from Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, South Africa’s biomedical sector has the capacity to turn high science into medicines that can help ordinary South Africans, and Africans across the continent, lead healthier and longer lives. — Dr Wilmot James, DA spokesperson for basic education
M&G the censor
Sadly, the Mail & Guardian has let itself become the left equivalent of the Sun. At least tabloids are trying to sell papers only through scandal. Where the M&G finds views that conflict with its own, they are edited out, or they are not placed.
For example, while correctly pointing out that the number of part-time matrics probably shows departmental fiddling with figures to get better pass rates (“‘Engineered’ matric results queried“, September 23), your reporter ignores the real effort made by part-timers to at least try to achieve a pass.
Activist journalism with a purpose is one thing (fighting poverty and corruption is essential), but ideological writing and single-minded tracks are quite another. They are just plain bad reporting. Cynicism reigns and human beings, as well as solutions, disappear. — Graeme Bloch
Truth of Zim meeting
In “Pressure mounts on foreign firms in Zim” (September 30), the journalist incorrectly stated that “Old Mutual will hold discussions with the government in November on the sale of the remaining 26%”.
We wish to clarify that our planned meeting with the Zimbabwean government in November is to monitor progress on an agreed and approved plan and not about reviewing the agreement.
Old Mutual Zimbabwe has reached agreement with the Zimbabwean government on the first phase of its proposal to comply with indigenisation legislation for the financial sector. Companies have three to five years to comply fully with the legislation and ongoing robust consultation with the Zimbabwean authorities and our various stakeholders continues in the subsequent phases of the plan. — Ursula van der Westhuizen, media liaison, Old Mutual Emerging Markets
Kisses for Chris
In his column “Media needs more punk, less Idols” (September 30), Chris Roper mentioned the smelly elephant in the room. Yes, the media is filled with the words and thoughts of people who have become suffocatingly middle class in their thinking, fearful of lampooning and irony and monolithic in their pedestrian group-think. Reading most local print journalism or listening to the radio is like having weak tea and scones (without cream) at Kirstenbosch with your moralising Aunt Edna after church service. Dear heavens, do I want to be entertained or informed by a bunch of anal-retentive, dour, self-censoring cardboard popinjays? I’d rather cut my testicles off with blunt scissors, thank you. Chris, you deserve a kiss — on all four cheeks. — Herman Lategan, Sea Point