At the beginning of the past year, a service provider from Hospital ‘B’ in the north recounted that a female rubber tapper went to consult at Hospital ‘A’ because she had an unplanned pregnancy. However, she was scolded by the service provider for not taking responsibility for herself. Another staff member then recommended that this client come to Hospital ‘B’, where the doctor helped her safely terminate the pregnancy.
She wrote about her feelings regarding the services she received from the two hospitals:
“I think the service for those who are not ready to have children is good, very good, because humans have problems. Saying, why didn’t you be careful about this, some people can make mistakes with this kind of thing. Some people feel discouraged and go for illegal abortions because some doctors speak harshly, causing people to feel distressed, think too much, and think they created it themselves, so they must suffer alone.
I think humans are not living in a narrow world, but currently in a wide world, a broad society. We shouldn’t close ourselves off and others. I wish every hospital had this kind of program. It’s better than having to go for illegal abortions. I am very happy for hospitals that offer this service. Thank you to the hospital doctors who did not refuse to provide the service. May this volunteer spirit remain with the people always, ready to accept your suffering, creating friendships and merit for themselves forever.”
Uncle Doctor was touched by many phrases such as “I want service providers to be ready to accept the suffering of the people” because the service providers have dissolved their ‘suffering’ while simultaneously creating ‘happiness’ for the people. Another phrase is “creating friendships and merit” for the service providers themselves, as it seems to be a way of doing good deeds and feeling happy.
A doctor once said that the problem of refusing to terminate a pregnancy must be solved by changing the mindset to
“We do it for those who are suffering, not for ourselves.” Soon they will understand.
A service provider consultant experienced being interrogated like a defendant by their colleagues, being scolded as a bad person, committing a sin. But later, that staff member had a niece who was pregnant but didn’t like the man who got her pregnant. The mindset changed completely, pleading and reasoning in every way to help terminate the pregnancy for the niece.
Yes, if it doesn’t happen to oneself, it’s hard to understand why someone decides to terminate a pregnancy. Let’s look at news events to see what societal impacts might follow if a woman with an unplanned pregnancy does not terminate it and does not receive various forms of assistance.
On December 29, 2016, in Isan Subdistrict, Buriram Province, a young man collecting tamarind followed a strong stench to find a black bag left at a garbage dump. Upon opening it, he was shocked to find a baby’s corpse stuffed inside, with a gestational age of 9 months, estimated to have been dead for 2 days. Police suspect it was an unplanned pregnancy, and after giving birth, the baby was discarded at the dump.
On January 2, 2017, news of a newborn baby being stuffed into a plastic bag and left by a rice field in That Phanom District, Nakhon Phanom Province, was reported. The baby was estimated to have died 1-2 hours prior. On the same day, a 3-month-old baby was found abandoned by the mother at a hotel in Mueang District, Lopburi Province, for 3 days, with mosquito bites all over the body, starting to turn blue. Items left by the mother included 2 bottles of milk, baby clothes, a milk carton, diapers, and a birth certificate.
On January 4, 2017, police in Map Ta Phut, Rayong Province, investigated a resident carrying a baby, who reported hearing a baby crying. A baby was found abandoned near a coin-operated washing machine, with a paper bag containing a milk bottle, a milk can, and diapers nearby. The baby was less than a month old.
On January 5, 2017, police in Hat Yai, Songkhla Province, went to inspect a baby’s corpse left in a thicket by the Asian Highway. The baby was about 7 months old, estimated to have died no more than 3 hours prior.
On January 7, 2017, in a forest by the roadside in Si Racha, Chonburi Province, locals searching for red ant nests found a baby’s corpse abandoned. Near the corpse was an incense stick and a discarded milk bottle. Police are urgently tracking down the person who abandoned it.
On January 11, 2017, a newborn baby aged about 7-10 days was found abandoned in a roadside shelter. The baby was crying from hunger. Police suspect the mother may not have been ready or had issues with the child’s father, with the intention of abandoning the child.
Uncle Doctor doesn’t want people to think these problems are unsolvable. Every problem has a solution, but not by killing or abandoning children like this. Please look around and contact those who provide safe assistance, as they still exist. As for those who are not doctors but use dangerous methods for abortions, there are still many. Do not fall into believing those people at all.
A doctor who encountered many dangerous cases recounted that one case involved an unplanned pregnancy that went for an abortion with a quack doctor. The doctor injected into the vagina, and the patient came to the hospital with very low blood pressure, in shock, requiring a hysterectomy, leaving her disabled and unable to have children again.
Another case involved abdominal compression and injection into the vagina, later sent to the hospital with a bloodstream infection, in shock, requiring a hysterectomy and oophorectomy, ultimately resulting in death. Another case involved a quack doctor using a stick to pierce and suction, resulting in a perforated uterus, requiring a hysterectomy. Another case involved a quack doctor injecting into the vagina in a hotel, resulting in body swelling, kidney failure, and death.
Unsafe abortions by those lacking knowledge and tools result in consequences, including resource-intensive treatments, costs, and immense time. Prevention is easier and cheaper through safe abortions, which are necessary and unavoidable in public health.
With love and concern,
Dr. Ruangkit Sirikanchanakul, RSA Network Coordinator