Panoramas of Regulating the Right to Reproductive Health: A Remedy to Socio-Economic Challenges in South Africa

Abstract

Like many other countries, South Africa has over the years recorded an expeditious population growth, statistically, during this era, socio-economic stability diminished, which led to a regression in human wellbeing development. The latter ensued due to the decline in the adequate incursion to basic services, such as quality health care, education, safe cleaning water, and housing. Amongst others, uncontrolled population growth exacerbated the already dire socio-economic challenges the country is faced with. This paper aims to demonstrate that unregulated population growth hinders the progress of socio-economic development, admonishes societal stability, and in general, sabotages the survival of humanity. Therefore, this paper indicts the possibility of enacting legal instruments that will control the population in a form of regulating or limiting the right to reproductive health as captured or envisaged in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. It is therefore submitted that the South African government must implore or consider drafting policies and legislations that aim at aligning the state resources and the population. Finally, the excursion of this paper will highlight challenges that prosper as a result of population growth within the area of education, poverty, unemployment, and social security.

Received: 2 September 2021 / Accepted: 3 March 2022 / Published: 5 May 2022