Pretoria - North West Health MEC Dr Magome Masike has urged women to use legal and designated abortion sites for the sake of their own health.
Since the implementation of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act no 92 of 1996, the province has designated 18 hospitals and 14 community health centres to render the service.
Dr Masike said previously people in the province used to complain about lack of information regarding the service and settled for illegal abortion.
"The problem facing the department is that most people who use backstreet abortion sites often flock back to health care facilities with serious complications. This is not only costly to the department but also creates a burden on the health care system.
"It is for this reason that women must stop using backstreet abortion to save themselves and the limited resources we have. I can now confirm that termination of pregnancy services are available and safe in designated facilities of the province," Masike said.
However, Masike warned it was also important to prioritise family planning.
"Family planning is the planning of when to have children and the use of birth control and other techniques to implement such plans. Other techniques commonly used include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception counseling and management and infertility management," said Masike.
The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, as amended by Act no 01 of 2008, promotes women's reproductive health rights and extends freedom of choice by affording every woman the right to choose whether to have early, safe and legal termination of pregnancy according to her individual beliefs.
It also gives women of any age or marital status access to abortion services on request during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and in certain cases, extends the access to the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.
