The growing rate of maternal mortality coupled with the spread of HIV/AIDS as well as the low availability and use of fertility control methods are putting a strain on many African economies and have placed the continent in a state of a reproductive health crisis. In an attempt to address this emergency in the region the first-ever conference dedicated to African women'€™s sexual, reproductive health and rights will be held in Johannesburg, from the 4th to the 7th of February. Khopotso Bodibe looks ahead to this crucial meeting.

Violence against women is one of the most pressing public health problems in South Africa, with rape being more common than tuberculosis, according to Professor Lynette Denny, senior specialist at Groote Schuur Hospital and University of Cape Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. Kerry Cullinan reports.

What does it mean to be a poor, single mother in the new South Africa? Lots of guilt and anger as women confess to taking out their frustrations on their children, reports KERRY CULLINAN.

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.

Although the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act was passed in 1996, its taken a long time for the message to reach many women, especially those in rural areas. Despite resistance from certain social workers, nurses and doctors, the Act gives women the choice whether or not they wish to have an abortion. In this audio report, Pamela Rubushe a Senior Social Worker at Dora Nginza Hospital in Port Elizabeth says before the Act was passed there were many tragic cases of women resorting to back street abortions where they would use extreme measures to abort their unborn babies. This resulted in many women losing their wombs or even dying from infections or loss of blood.

The young girl who shot herself in the stomach to get rid of her unwanted pregnancy has always stuck in Elizabeth Serobe'€™s mind.This image is one the main driving forces behind this Soweto midwife's commitment to providing women in Soweto with a choice to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. This week doctors, midwives, social workers and researchers shared their assessment of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy (TOP) Act with Parliament.

It is crucial that women, especially those living in less developed parts of the world such as Sub-Saharan Africa, have access to termination of pregnancy (TOP) services, according to Dr Helen Rees of the Reproductive Health Research Unit at Chris Hani Barangwanath Hospital. Rees was one of several TOP experts who made submissions at the national oversight hearings into the implementation of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act held in Parliament this week.

Although life is tough, a group of women from rural areas who are living in Khayelitsha say their disabled status won't get them down. They are taking courses in adult basic education to complete missed years of their education at primary and high schools and are producing handcrafts for sale. Theresa Lorenzo, a researcher in Occupational Health at the University of Cape Town, says many women in her research group became disabled as a consequence of domestic violence.

One of the biggest state maternity hospitals in the Western Cape has opened a new unit to allow woman to give birth in a more comfortable and homely environment. For a fee, the new Active Birth Unit at the Mowbray Maternity Hospital in Cape Town offers women the chance to give birth in a warm room with soft music playing instead of in a congested ward. This audio report is in isiXhosa.

The appallingly high incidence of rape in South Africa must be addressed and effective measures implemented not only to treat rape survivors, but to drastically reduce the number of women and children who suffer this trauma. This is according to Dr Lynette Denny, a Specialist Gynaecologist at Groote Schuur Hospital who gave evidence to the Parliamentary health portfolio committee recently. This audio report in isiXhosa and English.

The Reproductive Rights Alliance will assist the state as a "friend of the court" in its defence of the Termination of Pregnancy Act which will be challenged by the Christian Lawyers' Association at the end of this month.

A recent report suggests a strong link between domestic violence and the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS among South African women. All too often women who are HIV positive choose to stay in abusive relationships because they need financial security or because they fear no one else will have them. In other instances, women run the risk of contracting HIV from being raped or from abusive husbands who are more likely to have extra-marital affairs. Kerry Cullinan reports.

Februrary 19-25 is Pregnancy Education Week. In a nationwide campaign, the Department of Health is encouraging South African women to take part in antenatal classes as one aspect of ensuring that women experience a safe and healthy pregnancy.