The past two weeks have been a time of finding my own pulse. Whether it’s going to Bangkok, Pattaya, or back and forth to Hat Yai, it’s all because I had to be a speaker on a topic that strongly intersects with morality. The story goes that last week, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Thailand held its annual academic conference at the Ambassador Jomtien Hotel from October 13-15. On the 12th, there was a pre-congress workshop one day before, with so many topics and rooms that I couldn’t remember them all. But what I definitely remember is the room where I had to be a speaker. One was about urinary incontinence, the overactive bladder syndrome, hosted by the Urogynecology Society, and the other was about abortion.
Speaking of abortion, the host was the Foundation for Women’s Understanding, led by the respected Professor Kamhaeng and the familiar Khun Nonglak. I was chosen to be a speaker to talk about attitudes towards abortion in terms of changing one’s own mindset. The host specified that I should speak in the same way as I did at the HA National Forum (http://gotoknow.org/blog/thanapan/171206) held in Muang Thong last February, and some people still wanted to hear it again. That day was a bit hectic because after talking about abortion, I had to run to another room to talk about “urinary incontinence.” It matched so well.
On Monday, October 20, the Foundation for Women’s Health Understanding, or SCS, held a meeting with PATH, and they wanted me to share my stories or experiences of taking care of women with unplanned pregnancies. I prepared the same set of slides but added more stories to pave the way by sharing my life and attitude changes through the stories of two patients.
I stayed overnight at my sister’s condo for one night because the lecture was scheduled for 10 a.m. If I traveled on Monday morning, I feared it would be rushed. The travel was opposite to my sister’s because she was staying at my house during this time. Ha ha.
The next problem was how I would get to the PATH meeting room. This was solved by the host sending a map, saying it was located on Phetchaburi Road, Soi 15, opposite Pantip Plaza.
I woke up early, washed up, dressed, gulped down coffee, and set off. “To Pantip, please,” I told the taxi. “Which way should we go?” he asked. “Any way that’s fast and without traffic,” I replied. “I don’t know, sir. It might be congested today because the Alliance is going to Central World, and the NPK is going to the National Police Headquarters. It might be very congested, sir.” “Oh, then drop me at the mouth of the alley. I’ll take the subway instead.” So I went down to Huai Khwang MRT, emerged at Chatuchak Station, took the BTS to Mo Chit, got off at Ratchathewi, and walked about 530 meters to find the PATH building, feeling very proud that I didn’t get lost.
I was delighted to see in the schedule that I would meet Dr. Watchara, or Brother Tan, a senior who graduated from PSU with me. He works with PATH and was supposed to be the speaker after me, but my dream was shattered when she had to attend an urgent meeting somewhere. My lecture took about 20 more minutes of Brother Tan’s time. Ha ha. Most of the audience were social workers from nearby hospitals, including the Police Hospital, Vajira Hospital, Samut Prakan, and Thammasat. There were actually many more, but I couldn’t remember them all.
The main point I talked about was having a perspective on oneself as someone involved in pregnancy termination, a perspective on the service seekers, the system, and the organization. I always ask myself, “Are we committing a sin?” I would ask my heart and evaluate how I felt each time. If I felt that what I did helped people, it wouldn’t make me feel too bad. I’m saying that our own perspective determines whether what we do is good or bad. Believe it or not, sometimes when I squash an ant, I feel worse. That’s what I call sin.
Doctors have so many opportunities to do things that go against good morals, but if those actions benefit others and are not self-serving, I think society wouldn’t say I’m doing something bad, right?
I always emphasize that I never liked abortion, and what I do today is done by others, whether students or networks. I’m a teacher. My job is to teach, to teach others to work. Knowing this, there’s no need to try to send anyone to me for an abortion. Ha ha. (I must say, some patients travel from far away because a doctor said Dr. Thanapan would do it. I would say, this is… clear.)
We ended the meeting at 1 p.m. After lunch, I excused myself to check in at Lat Phrao Station, planning to stroll around Central Lat Phrao for a while. But after getting my seat ticket, I exchanged it for a delicious coffee to sip leisurely. My butt wouldn’t lift, and I fell asleep comfortably on Thai Airways. Ha ha. What kind of coffee is this? It really makes you sleepy.
Source: https://www.gotoknow.org/posts/218034 by Asst. Prof. Dr. Thanapan Chubun