The network supporting alternative choices for unplanned pregnancies – partners found that the most significant limitation in terminating pregnancies in Thailand is that state facilities refuse to provide services due to personal attitudes fearing sin, resulting in women with unplanned pregnancies risking their lives from unsafe abortion.
Today (September 23, 2016), the network supporting alternative choices for women with unplanned pregnancies (Choice Network) and partner organizations jointly campaigned for the right to access safe and legal abortion by organizing a discussion “Talking about Abortion: New Thoughts, New Perspectives” to demand health services and societal understanding of safe abortion. The situation of abortion in the country remains difficult due to lingering beliefs and attitudes fearing sin if involved in abortion, while workers face criticism from colleagues even though the law permits abortion in cases of physical and mental health issues of the pregnant woman or in cases of criminal acts.
Dr. Sanya Phatrachai, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Ramathibodi Hospital, stated that every woman has the right to access abortion because, medically, there are no technical problems, and it can be done in various ways, such as using abortion pills, which women in other countries can access. However, Thai women cannot access them because the pills are controlled by the Department of Health, prohibited from being sold in pharmacies, and strictly regulated like narcotics.
“Abortion pills are safe, but their use is quite complicated because every time a doctor uses them, they must write a report to the Department of Health on how the pills are used because they are specially controlled drugs,” Dr. Sanya said.
Mrs. Kulkan Jintakanon, a woman with experience in abortion, revealed that abortion was the best solution for her family because she could not raise two children simultaneously due to financial problems and lack of help. However, this method is difficult to access and frightening, and the decision was stigmatized by society as sinful and irresponsible.
“Many people criticized, saying why can’t you raise just one child, why are you so cruel? Society judged us as bad people. Personally, I feel bad about society’s judgment because if we continued the pregnancy, the resulting problem might be that the child becomes a burden to society,” Mrs. Kulkan said.
The issue of unplanned pregnancies also occurs among high school students. Mr. Narakorn Laihrang, director of Triam Udom Phatthana Kan Nonthaburi School, admitted that it is a problem encountered every year, and abortion is the solution the school chooses because, from past experience, students who have abortions can return to study and succeed in education and work, unlike those who continue the pregnancy. After giving birth, 90% cannot return to study and become a burden to their families.
The network supporting alternative choices for women with unplanned pregnancies emphasizes that campaigning for the right to access safe and legal abortion is not supporting women to have abortions but is merely an option for women with unplanned pregnancies and to protect the lives of women who must risk danger from unsafe abortion. Each year, unsafe abortion is the cause of death for 47,000 pregnant women worldwide.
Source: https://news.thaipbs.or.th/content/256045