April 7, 2017, in Nakhon Ratchasima “A baby was found abandoned in an alley in the municipal area, approximately 7-10 days old, with ant bites on the body. It is suspected that the parents were not ready and thus abandoned the baby..”
April 9, in Chiang Mai “A street vendor reached Mae Rim district and found a bag of meat by the roadside. Upon opening it, he was almost shocked! Because there was a baby’s body inside, and it was already deceased..”
In a province in the north “A 23-year-old pregnant woman, who had been married for 2 months but was 24 weeks pregnant, with no prenatal care history, died in the hospital. Doctors diagnosed that she had gone into shock from a bloodstream infection. It is suspected that she bought abortion pills from an unregulated online drug store and inserted them vaginally..”
April 21, in Chachoengsao “After discovering an online advertisement for abortion pills, the Consumer Protection Police Division conducted a sting operation to purchase a set of pills for 3,600 baht, sent by mail. When the officers received the package, they found it was sent from Bang Bua Post Office in Bang Pakong district. The investigation revealed that the sender was a 42-year-old overweight woman who regularly sent such packages. She was apprehended while mailing the pills to a customer. The police searched her home and found a large quantity of abortion pills worth over 5 million baht..”
April 22 “A 29-year-old mother reported to the police to arrest her husband because her 13-year-old daughter had been raped by her 29-year-old stepfather for almost a year, resulting in a 6-month pregnancy. After reporting to the police, the mother took her daughter to apply for an abortion. The advanced pregnancy posed a risk to the girl, but the doctors tried their best to ensure safety.”
These problems would not occur if assistance for women facing unplanned pregnancies could be provided in time, with accessible and safe services, without allowing these women to advance in pregnancy and risk their lives, leading to many losses.
Let’s look at an example of how the RSA volunteer network system helps
A 37-year-old woman met with an RSA volunteer doctor, explaining that she had chest pain at night, preventing her from sleeping. She visited a doctor and was referred to a central hospital. The doctor found that she had coronary artery disease and was treated with medication, taking 8 pills a day, including blood thinners. Although she had previously used injectable contraceptives, she stopped using birth control due to fear of affecting her heart condition, only to find herself pregnant. She was not ready and feared the dangers associated with her heart disease. She consulted a cardiologist, who advised her to see an obstetrician, but they could not help..
However, she was fortunate to have a younger friend recommend meeting with an RSA volunteer doctor. The examination revealed a pregnancy of 7 weeks and 6 days. Although not far along, she also had diabetes and high blood pressure, causing her significant stress and anxiety about abortion and her existing conditions. The RSA team recommended a vacuum aspiration method, advising her to stop taking blood thinners 5 days prior. The abortion was successful, safe, and without bleeding issues. She appeared brighter, her mental health improved significantly, and she thanked the doctor for helping her resolve the issue safely.
This woman survived… but what about others? What fate awaits them?
Another pregnant woman, aged 33, had a 6-year-old first child. She usually practiced withdrawal as birth control. She had intercourse on the last day of her menstrual cycle, thinking it was a safe period. When her period was absent for 3 months, she took a urine test and found she was pregnant. She registered for prenatal care at a private hospital and underwent blood screening for Down syndrome at 3 months, which came back normal. At 5 months, the doctor detected a cleft lip and advised waiting to see a specialist for confirmation. Uncomfortable, she consulted an obstetrician at a clinic, who confirmed a right cleft lip and a cyst in the left lung of the fetus. She sought further confirmation at a medical faculty, where a professor confirmed both abnormalities.
She wanted to know what risks the baby would face if born. The answer was to monitor the baby’s breathing; if abnormal, surgery would be required. The cleft lip would also need surgical correction. She asked if these two abnormalities could justify terminating the pregnancy. The doctor replied that they needed to wait for chromosomal test results to determine if it was Down syndrome or intellectual disability before proceeding with termination! But… she did not wait for the test results. She wanted to terminate the pregnancy, feeling sorry for the child who would need repeated surgeries. Her husband agreed, fearing eventual loss, raising the child only to die, and feeling sorry for his wife, who had been crying for days. She and her husband decided to consult Uncle Doctor. After an ultrasound, it was found that the pregnancy was 22 weeks and 4 days. They coordinated with 1663 to refer her to an RSA network hospital, ensuring safety in the end.
Reading this far, you might ask Uncle Doctor how to access RSA volunteer doctors? It’s not difficult. When facing an unplanned pregnancy, call the unplanned pregnancy consultation line at 1663, which will coordinate access to the RSA volunteer team for safe services.
Uncle Doctor wants everyone to help spread the important information: the unplanned pregnancy hotline 1663, so that women facing problems can become widely known across the country. Thank you, everyone.
With love and care
Uncle Doctor Ruangkit Sirikanchanakul