“Abortion” or “termination of pregnancy” has been a part of history for a long time. Originally, Thailand did not have a direct provision for the offense of causing an abortion. Later, provisions were developed to punish others who caused a woman to have an abortion, but it did not cover cases where a woman caused her own abortion in any way.
The intention of having laws is primarily to focus on protecting the life that is to be born. As society changes over time, the law has made exceptions for medical reasons for the health and life of the pregnant woman. Later, as women increasingly became victims of sexual crimes, the law added abortion as a result of sexual offenses as well. This is the essence of the Criminal Code regarding the offense of causing an abortion, Sections 301-305, which have been in use since 1957 to the present.
The ongoing debate is about the necessity for pregnant women to have abortions due to various issues such as family, social, economic problems, and expectations for future life. However, the law only provides two exceptions, leading to unsafe abortions, injuries, and deaths due to other necessities not specified in the law.
In which cases is abortion legal in Thailand? Click here: https://rsathai.org/contents/16544