When the choice is to terminate a pregnancy “Abortion” or “Termination of Pregnancy” is it illegal?
It is a “misunderstanding” that abortion is illegal in all cases because countries around the world have made termination of pregnancy an option for women who are not ready to be pregnant, with different legal provisions in each country.
In Thailand, termination of pregnancy can be done legally in the following cases:
- The pregnancy adversely affects the woman’s physical health.
- The pregnancy adversely affects the woman’s mental health.
- The fetus has severe disabilities.
- The pregnancy resulted from rape.
- Pregnancy in a girl under 15 years old.
- The pregnancy resulted from deception, coercion, or threats for sexual exploitation.
16 Examples of Unplanned Pregnancy Problems That Can Be Terminated According to Legal Criteria
1.
A pregnant woman is exposed to radiation, has severe thalassemia, contracts rubella, has chickenpox,
has SLE (Lupus), takes rheumatoid arthritis medication, is elderly and in poor health.
2.
The fetus has chromosomal abnormalities, hydrops fetalis, heart defects, scoliosis, fluid in the abdomen,
fluid in the brain, no brain stem, anencephaly, kidney failure, no skull, no brain tissue, abnormal organs, etc.
3.
An older woman becomes pregnant.
4.
A woman who has been sterilized becomes pregnant.
5.
A man who has been sterilized experiences sterilization failure, resulting in his wife becoming pregnant.
6.
A woman uses contraception but it fails, resulting in pregnancy.
7.
Age > 15 years, raped and pregnant by a family member, close person, or others.
8.
Age < 15 years, raped and pregnant by a family member, close person, or others.
9.
Age < 15 years, pregnant with a boyfriend of the same age, younger, or older, voluntarily.
10.
A teenager becomes pregnant with a boyfriend, but the boyfriend leaves, and she may be expelled from school.
11.
A woman with many children, in poverty, unable to care for the children born.
12.
A woman becomes pregnant with her husband, but the husband frequently uses violence.
13.
A woman working in the sex industry becomes pregnant.
14.
A woman cannot disclose her pregnancy, is pregnant out of wedlock, the man is irresponsible, and she is fired from her job.
15.
A woman becomes pregnant and finds it difficult to care for the child born, unable to provide care.
16.
A woman becomes pregnant with a blood relative in the family, such as a grandfather, father, brother, etc.
Source: Book supporting women’s choices for unplanned pregnancies