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South African Doctor Faces Charges for Advising Abortion “Kills a Human Being”

Sep 20, 2019

Editor’s note. This appears on the blog of the Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues.

A doctor in South Africa has been charged by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) for advising a pregnant woman that abortion “kills a human being.”

Jacques de Vos, 32, a former Military Hospital doctor, was charged with unprofessional conduct for expressing his views on abortion in 2017 while he was serving on a gynecology rotation and has been barred from medical practice since the complaint was filed.

The charges state De Vos is

“guilty of dissuading his patient from terminating her pregnancy, of disrespecting the dignity of the patient and using emotive language to convey his beliefs to the patient.”

The charges read as if taken straight from a book of pro-abortion arguments and further allege that he

“failed/neglected to honour and/or respect the patient’s right to self- determination, to have disrespected his patient’s choices regarding her autonomy and failed/neglected to respect his patient’s right to bodily and psychological integrity.”

A disciplinary inquiry was begun last month but postponed until October 3 to allow the doctor’s legal team time to prepare his defense. Dr. De Vos is a member of the international pro-life organization Doctors For Life International (DFL).

A statement from DFL includes:

“This case is likely to attract great interest in the medical community as health care practitioners such as Dr De Vos are often victimised and discriminated against for upholding the sanctity of life for unborn children and for advising women of the adverse effects of abortion on the mother of the unborn child.”

The case is receiving attention in South Africa which allows abortion on demand for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy but has been criticized for not providing easy access to abortion.

During a June Sexual and Reproductive Health workshop by Health-e News and Global Health Strategies, complaints were issued surrounding “stigma and judgement from colleagues make working conditions difficult for termination of pregnancy (TOP) service providers in the public health that many opt to leave the service rather than continue to work in hostile environments”.

The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) announced its strong support for DeVos; ACDP MP Marie Sukers stated, “The ACDP commends Dr Jacques de Vos for taking a bold and unpopular stand in choosing to be a voice for the voiceless.

“The ACDP believes in the sanctity of human life, and we look forward to a time when the life of an unborn child will be given the reasonable protection it deserves. Dr de Vos is to us an indication that the time for that is not far off. His statement, which has landed him in hot water with the HPCSA and 2 Military Hospital, shows that there are people who know that we cannot value human rights without valuing human life.

“Our hope is that a greater appreciation and respect for women and for life will take root in our cultural perspective without violating freedom of choice or freedom of belief…In our view, too many mothers who opt for abortion are doing so without the necessary information to make an informed decision.

“The ACDP stands in solidarity with Dr De Vos. We wish him all the best and we pray that righteousness will prevail…”

CitizenGo Africa has a petition expressing support for Dr DeVos.

Categories: Pro-Lifers
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