Thailand has the highest rate of unplanned pregnancies in Asia, and this situation leads to unsafe abortions, especially among youth. Part of the reason is the fear that families and guardians will not accept it, leading young people to resort to abortion, which severely affects their bodies. The counseling mechanism through the 1663 hotline was established, hoping to provide an appropriate solution.
The initial advice given by the 1663 hotline staff to a 16-year-old girl who was 6 months pregnant and did not want to terminate the pregnancy, even though her guardians disagreed, was due to her facing the problem of unplanned pregnancy alone. She feared her family would not accept it, it would affect her studies, and the male partner was not taking responsibility. Offering options and allowing the youth to decide based on correctness and safety is currently the best solution.
Previously, the 1663 hotline only provided AIDS-related counseling. However, due to the increasing issues of unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions, the staff had to expand their counseling services to include these topics. Each month, an average of 100 young people call for advice, including inquiries about whether their behavior puts them at risk of pregnancy, which can be assessed through a computer program, requests for information to make decisions, and having staff act as intermediaries to coordinate with public health services to terminate pregnancies.
Mr. Nimit Tienudom, Director of the AIDS Access Foundation, stated that the 1663 hotline is a mechanism to prevent unsafe abortions, which young people and the public can consult every day. It is hoped to be a starting point for the health service system to become proactive and provide appropriate options for those facing problems to ensure safety.
Currently, Thailand has the highest rate of unplanned pregnancies in Asia. According to the abortion report from the Bureau of Reproductive Health, Department of Health, in 2011, it was found that 71.5% of youths aged 15-19 had unplanned pregnancies, choosing to terminate the pregnancy themselves and with non-medical personnel at 20%. Among these, severe complications, including hemorrhage, were found in 21.4%.
Source: https://news.thaipbs.or.th/content/199835 Retrieved on September 7, 2018