When you’re a champion for women’s rights, it means you stand firm in that women have the right to make choices about their bodies. It then only makes sense that what follows is wanting what’s best and safe for all women when it comes to the pregnancy options and the service providers available to them. As a champion, you stand tall and strive for what is right, safe and true.
#BlueRibbon is calling upon you, to be the champion you want to be and speak out against illegal abortion in South Africa.
Having collaborated with Marie Stopes South Africa, the #TearThemDown campaign is a call to ALL, to be champions and fight against all illegal abortion service providers in the country. MSSA has reiterated its mission to provide safe pregnancy options for women in South Africa.
What is Unsafe Abortion?
An unsafe abortion is a termination procedure for an unwanted pregnancy, by a person who lacks the necessary skills to do so. It can also be a procedure carried out in an environment lacking minimal medical standards. Most illegal abortions are performed under these unsafe conditions.
The Power of Champions
The primary aim of the #TearThemDown ambush campaign is to expose and aid in the shutting down of illegal abortion “clinics” in South Africa. Through your vigilant contribution as a member of the community, it can be achieved by the following:
- Reporting alleged illegal abortion providers
- Harness the power of storytelling (Get Involved)
- Talk about the importance of safe, women’s sexual health treatment
As a #BlueRibbon Champion, we encourage you to REPORT by sharing material and content via the MSSA resource portal, to drive home the key messaging of this campaign – that there is NO place for “backstreet” abortion practices and they MUST be reported and shut down.
Our voices together are powerful. As champions combined, harnessing the power of storytelling, sharing and positivity, we can drive a positive message and remove the stigma related to seeking out abortion services, providing a safe solution of seeking help from reputable and medically qualified establishments such as Marie Stopes South Africa.
Through your actions, you can empower more women across the country and provide them with the confidence to seek out professional and more importantly, legal abortion service providers.
On the 10th of March, take action and record video content of yourself tearing down as many illegal abortion ads as there are within immediate area. Upload the footage onto the MSSA ambush campaign portal and on social media.
Since 1995, abortion has been legal in South Africa. There’s no room or place for women to suffer at the hand of unsanctioned surgeries and procedures that risk their lives. Let’s start the conversation we’re all supposed to be having – protecting all women from the scourge of illicit abortion service providers plaguing our communities and more importantly, let’s report any illegal abortion “clinics” and build a future we can all be proud of.
The TIME FOR CHANGE IS NOW!
#BlueRibbon is an affiliate of Marie Stopes South Africa, the country’s largest non-profit provider of sexual and reproductive healthcare services. They are part of a 38-country strong Marie Stopes International Global Partnership, allowing us access to the latest innovations and expertise in the field of sexual and reproductive health.
