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Legal Talk

Legal Talk

Author: Fawzia Khan
Date: 2016-08-12
A US-based television documentary show broadcast on MTV and entitled "16 and Pregnant", which deals obviously, with teenage pregnancy, has gained global popularity, including here in South Africa. This show looks at the life of a teenager who falls pregnant at 16 and how she has to cope with her new life and that of her baby as well as all the curved balls life throws at her. It's been said that the show has significantly impacted in a downward spiral in the number of teenage pregnancies, both in the United States and abroad. One of the reasons for this is the sobering facts and reality checks, which the show focuses on, in raising a child when the parent is a child herself. The TV show also debunks many myths which teenagers may harbour including what it means to be a parent as well as all the unromantic aspects of being an adult with responsibilities. One of the most obvious of which must surely be the responsibility of taking care of and raising a child. For us in South Africa, the responsibilities and rights of a parent are clearly set out in the Children's Act 38 of 2005. This Act looks at the responsibilities and rights of all categories of parents, from those parents who are married to each other (be it in a civil marriage, customary marriages, civil unions) all the way through to those biological parents were never in a permanent, or any such relationship with each other. Sections 19 and 21 of the Act sets out the responsibilities and rights of the biological mother and father, (who are not married to each other) respectively.

Up until the Children's Act was enforced, the law favoured the mother as the parent who would be given the care and custody of minor children. That situation has since been drastically altered. The court is now required by law to look at what is in the best interests of the child, rather than look at favouring a mother or father as the custodial parent.