Catholic Bishops Liaison Office
High levels of crisis pregnancies in South Africa and limited options lead large numbers of desperate
girls and women to abandon their babies in unsafe circumstances, or seek out late-term abortions. This
can result in death or injury to the child and the mother. The availability of ‘baby savers’ as a safe
relinquishment option would do much to prevent these deaths. Yet all forms of child abandonment,
including safe relinquishment, remain a criminal offence in South Africa.
Speakers: Ms Robyn Wolfson Vorster, Child protection activist and writer: “For the Voiceless”
and Dr Whitney Rosenberg, Senior Lecturer, Law of Persons and Family, UJ