Abstract
M.A. (Sociology)
There have been on-going debates surrounding Elective Termination of Pregnancy (ETP) in Botswana. Pro-choice feminist movements have been pressing government for its legalisation, on the basis of gender equality, and pro-life critics have been arguing against ETP by deeming it a crime (Mathala, 2015: 16). Despite ETP being illegal in Botswana, there have been newspaper reports of young women still doing it illegally or crossing borders to have it done legally in the neighbouring South Africa (Seleke, 2014: 1). Further, reports indicated that most of the women who opted for illegal termination of pregnancy were youths aged between 15 and 24 (Echo newspaper, 2015: 1 & 4; Mote, Otupiri & Hindin, 2010: 115). It was therefore necessary to investigate attitudes of undergraduate youths at the University of Botswana towards legalising ETP, in Botswana. No study of this nature has been conducted to date. The study explored the underlying factors influencing the students‟ attitudes such as sex, religious affiliation, economic class and spatial orientation. A quantitative survey was used which involved a representative sample (n = 416) of full-time, undergraduate students, selected through a cluster sampling method. Data was then analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. The results showed that sex, religious attachment, economic class and spatial orientation were among the factors that determined whether respondents held pro-life or pro-choice attitudes about the legalisation of ETP in Botswana. These factors were measured for correlation and it was found that some were quiet strongly associated with legalisation of ETP. The findings from this study revealed that female respondents were more likely to have pro-life attitudes than male respondents which meant that females may not campaign in favour of ETP, as assumed from the literature. The study also revealed that the respondents who were strongly attached to a religion were more likely to have pro-life attitudes than respondents who indicated a religious detachment. Financially secure respondents were more likely to hold pro-choice attitudes than financially insecure respondents because financial freedom allowed people to secure safe ETPs by travelling to other countries. Respondents who were raised in urban areas were also more likely to hold pro-choice attitudes than respondents with rural backgrounds. In as much as Botswana is patriarchal, urban women are more free and independent than in rural areas. Having said the above, one can say it is normally expected for educated people and women to be more liberal towards matters that concern reproduction, however, this was not the case because the results reflected different findings. It was recommended that more research should be done in this area.