00:00

00.03

00.15

Caption:

Brenda’s mission

GVs – people in street, abortion posters.

Music – ‘Ski Mask’

VO:

Across the world, unsafe abortion is the cause of 13 percent of maternal deaths, with millions more women left injured, disabled or infertile

In South Africa, abortion is legal up to 20 weeks, and can be accessed for free at government clinics.

But cultural taboos mean that women still risk their lives with secret but unsafe abortions..

00.32

00.36

Brenda goes door-to-door in shanty town.

Good Day. I’m Brenda from the Marie Stopes Clinic

VO:

Brenda works in the community, educating people about sexual and reproductive health. .

00.42

Brenda in shanty town.

Brenda:

I feel passionate about it because it’s my mission to help women, to educate themselves, to know their rights. So I want women to be independent, to have a say.

00.55

Brenda in shanty town

VO:

A big part of her mission, is putting a stop to the practice of unsafe abortion.

01:00

Brenda interview

Brenda:

It’s not easy really to talk about abortion. Because in our culture, we don’t talk about sexuality, our private parts. It’s very sensitive issues.

01.11

Women in waiting room in health centre

Brenda VO:

So I find that most women don’t know about contraceptives. They don’t know much about termination. They don’t know who to talk to.

01.26

Women speak to Brenda, health centre.

Gvs of posters.

Music: ‘Waiting

VO:

With no-one to talk to, pregnant girls can end up making risky decisions, like getting an illegal abortion

01.33

GVs of posters

VO:

Brenda decides to pose as a girl who’s passed the legal date for abortion and calls up an illegal provider.

Music: ‘Waiting

01.43

01.46

01.54

01.58

02.03

02.17

Brenda on phone to Dr Lesego.

(subtitles)

Dialling tone.

Dr Lesego:

Hello.

Brenda:

Hello doctor. Good day.

Dr Lesego:

Good day.

Brenda:

I’m pregnant. I want to have an abortion

Dr Lesego:

For how many months?

Brenda:

I’m 6 months pregnant.

Brenda:

What you gonna do to me?

Dr Lesego:

Some pills.

Brenda:

I’m going to drink the pills?

Dr Lesego:

Yes. The one, you’re going to drink it. The other one is going to go in your private parts. So you must squeeze it there. And it comes out as a piece of blood. It’s going to come in the pieces of blood.

Brenda:

In the pieces of blood?

Dr Lesego:

Yes.

02.18

Brenda:

Six months pregnant, a pill! I don’t think so. He doesn’t even ask about the medical history or something. You can’t do that as a qualified doctor.

02.31

VO:

Brenda will continue to educate women about their reproductive rights. Modern contraception is vital, but unintended pregnancies will happen and women must be educated and empowered to avoid unsafe abortions.

Music : ‘Bicycle’

02.46

02.57

Brenda IV

Brenda:

This is not safe. For women this is not safe. They’re the only ones who terminate. As a woman, as a mother, this is not right for your health.

From behind the camera:

So you’re not going to stop

Brenda:

No, I’m not going to stop. I think I’ve just started.

Music: ‘Bicycle’

03:02

End card – ‘Marie Stopes’

Music: ‘Bicycle’

03:11

BLACK

END