Assessing Teenage Girls' Awareness of the Health Risks of Illegal Abortion: A Case Study Protocol in Lusikisiki

Illegal abortion remains a significant public health challenge globally, particularly among adolescent girls who often lack adequate reproductive health information, access to healthcare services, and social support. Despite South Africa's progressive abortion legislation, teenage girls in rural communities like Lusikisiki still face barriers to accessing safe reproductive health services due to socio-cultural stigma, misinformation, and limited youth-friendly services, increasing the risk of unsafe abortion and related health complications. This paper outlines a protocol for a proposed qualitative case study that aims to assess the awareness of teenage girls in Lusikisiki regarding the health risks associated with illegal abortion, explore their sources of information, identify factors influencing their awareness, and propose strategies to reduce unsafe abortion. A qualitative case study design guided by an interpretive paradigm will be used to explore the perceptions and experiences of teenage girls. A purposive sample of 25 participants aged 13-19 years will be recruited from Village Clinic, Bambisana Hospital, and St Elizabeth Regional Hospital. Data will be collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis supported by NVivo software. The anticipated findings are expected to provide context-specific insights to support improved reproductive health education and adolescent-friendly healthcare services in rural communities.