June 25, 2017, Officer 1663 provided consultation services via page 1663 to an 18-year-old teenager who was 26 weeks and 4 days pregnant from her last menstrual period. This teenager knew she was pregnant since the first month of her missed period and tried to have an abortion by buying pills, but it didn’t work, and she let it go for a long time. The reason she couldn’t continue the pregnancy was that she couldn’t really tell her family. Her boyfriend was irresponsible and abandoned her, leaving her to face the problem alone. Officer 1663 continued to discuss and understand over the phone about the conditions of the pregnancy service, which, given the advanced stage of pregnancy, could not terminate the pregnancy because the baby would survive if born. Therefore, they discussed finding a solution together regarding continuing the pregnancy. She insisted that she couldn’t continue the pregnancy and had to have an abortion. She would buy abortion pills online but faced financial issues because the website quoted a price of 5-6 thousand baht. The officer tried to explain the life-threatening risks and recommended continuing the pregnancy and seeking support from government agencies, but she said she was willing to risk her life to have an abortion herself.
Officer 1663 consulted with the RSA volunteer network team on how to help this young girl. One RSA team member advised that the facts must be presented for consideration:
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- The fetus is already developed. If aborted, it will not die but may not be complete and will need to be cared for.
- The danger to oneself during an abortion may result in heavy bleeding and retained placenta, causing fatigue, weakness, and paleness. If not reaching the hospital in time, it could be fatal.
- The reason for not telling the parents is fear of being scolded, sadness, or fear of not being able to continue education? In reality, if something happens to us or we die, it would likely make the parents even more saddened.
- Consider that parents must love, care, be willing to listen, and help solve the problem together.
This matter is not over yet. Uncle Doctor will continue to follow up on the assistance.
On June 26, 2017, Uncle Doctor found a headline “Tragic attempt to kill a little baby! Ask the parents why they could do this to their child” in Mueang District, Chonburi Province. A newborn was found abandoned behind a trash can. Police and witnesses suspected that they hoped the child would die. Looking back in April-May 2017, there were continuous reports of abandoned children in Surat Thani, Bangkok, Phatthalung, and many other places.
In such news, people in society may not understand why?
The truth is that women with unplanned pregnancies do not want to have children, cannot raise them, and this is the path they choose!
The question is, what is the best solution to solve this problem? The truth is that women will definitely get pregnant when having unprotected sex or inadequate contraception. When an unplanned pregnancy occurs, there are two options: continue the pregnancy or not. If not ready and assessing that they cannot raise the child after birth, one possible solution is to terminate the pregnancy.
But in the real world… there are still many women with unplanned pregnancies who have to give birth because they cannot have an abortion…
Uncle Doctor would like to present studies and information from abroad. Dr. David A. Grimes wrote a research study in 2015 titled “Denial of Abortion: The Consequences for Mother and Child” to share with you.
Abortion is considered a solution for unplanned pregnancies, but when this option is denied, unavailable, or difficult to access, women end up having to give birth even when not ready to raise a child. What happens after that? Empirical data shows that children grow up with quality when they are loved and wanted. Conversely, children born from unpreparedness and unwantedness tend to have an increased risk of committing offenses as they grow up. Additionally, a study in Washington found that children born to teenage mothers are 11 times more likely to commit offenses than the general population. In cases where there is a lack of oxygen during childbirth and emergency treatment is required, it is found to be related to children growing up to become criminals.
Another study in Gothenburg, Sweden, followed children born to women with unplanned pregnancies who could not have abortions until these children grew up to 35 years old, compared to children of the same gender born in the same hospital. It was found that of the 197 women denied abortion, 68 ended up having abortions elsewhere, confirming that they no longer wanted to be pregnant. For the group that was unprepared but had to continue the pregnancy until birth and were followed until the children grew up, there were 66 males and 54 females. The continuous follow-up results found that:
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- There was more than twice the rate of psychiatric hospital admissions.
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- There were more than twice the offenses committed.
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- There were more than three times the criminal offenses.
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- Alcohol addiction was over 50% higher.
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- There was more than six times the need for state assistance between the ages of 16-21.
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- There were more than twice the learning difficulties.
In addition to the effects on the children who grow up, it also affects the mothers who have to give birth and raise children in an unprepared state, as follows:
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- One-third of women denied abortion feel resentment, disappointment, dissatisfaction, and harbor these feelings for a long time for giving birth to a child they did not want.
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- There are psychological issues in accepting the child born.
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- Half of the women studied experience emotional stress and need periodic therapy.
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- One in four has mental illness and constant stress.
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- There is anxiety and a feeling of being a bad, worthless person.
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- Most need various forms of assistance from the state.
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- Unable to work fully, no full-time job, leading to poverty.
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- In the group that decided to give up their child to others, there was severe grief, requiring hospitalization for severe psychiatric disorders.
Denying the termination of pregnancy to women with unplanned pregnancies leads women and children, who are human resources for driving the nation’s future, to face physical, mental, and social health problems, have a low quality of life, become a burden to the nation, and result in economic losses and obstacles to the country’s development moving forward…
With love and care
Source: www.lovecarestation.com
What are the effects of denying women with unplanned pregnancies?
By Dr. Rueangkitt Sirikanchanakul