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Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1996 (Act No. 92 of 1996)

2. Circumstances in which and conditions under which pregnancy may be terminated

 

(1) A pregnancy may be terminated—
(a) upon request of a woman during the first 12 weeks of the gestation period of her pregnancy;
(b) from the 13th up to and including the 20th week of the gestation period if a medical practitioner, after consultation with the pregnant woman, is of the opinion that—
(i) the continued pregnancy would pose a risk of injury to the woman's physical or mental health; or
(ii) there exists a substantial risk that the fetus would suffer from a severe physical or mental abnormality; or
(iii) the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest; or
(iv) the continued pregnancy would significantly affect the social or economic circumstances of the woman; or
(c) after the 20th week of the gestation period if a medical practitioner, after consultation with another medical practitioner or a registered midwife is of the opinion that the continued pregnancy—
(i) would endanger the woman's life;
(ii) would result in a severe malformation of the fetus; or
(iii) would pose a risk of injury to the fetus.

 

(2) The termination of a pregnancy may only be carried out by a medical practitioner, except for a pregnancy referred to in subsection (1)(a), which may also be carried out by a registered midwife or registered nurse who has completed the prescribed training course.