A Day at the Government Abortion Clinic.

A day I will never forget is my visit to the Government Abortion Clinic in South Africa. A dear friend of mine was raped and was left pregnant by the ordeal. She did not want to report it to the authorities but also decided to have an abortion and asked me to accompany her to the clinic. Having no money she was forced to go to the Government abortion clinic. The fear and pain I saw in the eyes of the young girls and woman there haunts me to this day.

We got there early knowing it was a “first come, first serve” system. It seems we did not get there early enough because by the time we got there the line was extremely long. What else could we do but wait. The woman were very quiet, everyone in their own little worlds of despair. Some waiting in the queue looked like they were not even 16 yet. Most of them were alone but one or two had an older woman with them. Strangely I only saw about two men in the crowd. There was an entrance and an exit and looking at the exit, every now and then a woman/girl would come out holding her tummy with one hand and wiping the tears with her other hand. Some came out of the clinic and just sat on the closest thing they could find and cried.

The line moved very slowly but eventually we got inside. What greeted us was very unsettling. There were rows of cubicles each one had a woman in them. You could see inside some of the cubicles because the curtains were not drawn properly. The nurse was short and unfriendly as she asked for my friends details. Once the forms were filled out another nurse led my friend to a cubicle and I followed. They did not want me to join her but after explaining that I was a nurse myself they let me in. My friend was told to get undressed and to lie on the bed. I took one of the sheets I found laying on the chair and covered her. We waited for about 30 min before another nursing sister joined us. I must give her credit she had empathy for my friend and explained the whole procedure to her. I explained to my friend that it would be better if I left them alone but I would be right outside if she needed me. I did not want anything to distract the nursing sister and decided it would better if I left them alone.