Two of Four Charges Dropped Against South African Doctor who Told a Pregnant Woman Abortion "kills a human being"

Jacques de Vos, center, flanked by attorney Martus de Wet, advocate
 Keith Matthee and father Phillip de Vos (cream jacket) at the
Health Professions Council of SA hearing on August 27, 2019.
Image: Sipokazi Fokazi

In 2017, South African doctor and member of Doctors for Life International Jacques De Vos told a woman seeking an abortion that what she was considering would kill a human being. As a result, he was charged four offenses and prevented from practicing medicine until the Health Professions Council of South Africa completes its hearings and makes a decision.

The two dropped charges accused De Vos “distributing pamphlets that imposed his religious beliefs at the hospital on colleagues, patients and members of the public, while also attempting to influence his colleagues to adopt his views by sending them text messages,” and “failing to remain objective when advocating for contraceptives and not having acted in a patient’s best interest.” De Vos's legal team argued that the charges were unlawful and vague, and they were dropped as a result.

The remaining charges include “dissuading a patient from terminating her pregnancy in 2016 when he was at 2 Military Hospital in Wynberg,” and “failing to respect the patient’s autonomy.”

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