The freedom to choose

This audio report is in isiXhosa. (4:53 min)

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Diaries of my womanhood

Cervical cancer or cancer of the womb is the second most common cancer in South Africa affecting one in every 41 women, according to the Cape Provincial Department of Health. Each year about 5000 new cases are detected and 1500 women die from cervical cancer. The good news is that this type of cancer is entirely curable if discovered in time. A simple pap smear can determine whether abnormal cells that may later become cancerous are present in the cervix. Thandeka Teyise went to Khayelitsha to watch a stage play, Diaries of my Womanhood, which aims to create awareness around cervical cancer and how men should get involved in their partner’€™s health. She spoke to the director and the writer Itumeleng Wa-lehurele.

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Depression and motherhood

About 34 percent of women who participated in a Khayelitsha study on mother and infant relationships showed signs of depression. The study titled ‘€œThula Sana’€ (a Xhosa lullaby) involved about 147 mothers and was conducted by the University of Cape Town Child Guidance clinic over a period of four years. Dr Mark Tomlinson, a senior researcher at the clinic, said a lack of spousal support was one of the leading factors in Post Natal Depression but that this was not the only cause. Added pressures are unemployment, poverty and single parenting. Dr Tomlinson also found that mood swings after women had given birth could impact adversely on the growth of the infant.  Thandeka Teyise of Health-e News spoke to Dr Tomlinson about his research and future plans.

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Midwives suffer abuse from anti-choice colleagues

Midwives at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital who work at the Termination of Pregnancy Unit live under threat from certain colleagues and community members who oppose their right to offer a legitimate service to women who wish to have abortions. Elizabeth Serobe who started working at the unit in 1996 says she and fellow midwives who assist with terminations of pregnancy are often called “child killers” or “murderers” by their colleagues. Serobe says such antagonism will not deter her from doing her job.

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