As a child, I wasn’t instilled with any particular views on abortion. Looking back, it felt like a sin that destroyed the life of a child about to be born, but I didn’t think much about opposing or supporting it.
As I grew up and studied to become a doctor, I attended a medical school that did not provide termination of pregnancy for women who were not ready. During my studies, I frequently encountered this group of patients. As a doctor, I had to remain neutral and provide advice on options, including continuing the pregnancy or terminating it.
When advising to continue the pregnancy, I could only speak in principles. In reality, there is nowhere that will care for that pregnant woman for her entire life. Her problem is unpreparedness, whether it be family, financial, or many other issues. Honestly, is there any organization that will take care of her for life? If there is, please let me know so I can refer patients there.
When advising on the option of terminating the pregnancy, I knew there were hospitals we should refer to. In reality, it was like just mentioning the hospital’s name. I didn’t know the procedures because the professors didn’t teach or provide detailed guidance. Some professors didn’t even offer any options. The hospital where I studied, the Medical Council, or the Ministry of Public Health did not emphasize this in the curriculum, leaving us unsure of how to manage it administratively.
After graduating, I had the knowledge and skills, and importantly, I felt I understood women who were not ready for pregnancy. How well do those of you who oppose termination of pregnancy understand these women to still oppose it?
Now, we are ready to make the termination of pregnancy a formal process. I once thought that having a system would be enough because we are the ones doing it. But in reality, it’s not the system that’s difficult; it’s the “people around us.”
The system for terminating pregnancy by the Ministry of Public Health and the Medical Council is already in place and can be fully reimbursed by the NHSO. Therefore, terminating a pregnancy should not be difficult.
Who are the “people around us”? They include the registration staff issuing patient cards, the staff at the examination room, the pharmacy staff, the nurse assistants preparing patients before termination, the nurses administering injections for the doctor to perform the termination by suction, including anesthesiologists and nurses. These individuals are considered medical personnel but create the most difficulty for doctors performing terminations for women who are not ready, with the belief that termination is a sin. They don’t want to be involved or even stand nearby to perform their duties.
Institutions that produce medical personnel, whether medical schools, nursing training institutes, or nurse assistant programs, should teach about termination of pregnancy with indications, not as a sin. It seems that even after graduating with knowledge and certification, there is a lack of maturity in thinking about this issue.
From the perspective of a doctor like me, termination of pregnancy is a form of patient care, not a sin. How can providing treatment or helping fellow humans be considered a sin?
Most people tend to think of it as destroying a child’s life. The child might grow up to be an adult who contributes to the nation in the future. But have you ever thought about the woman who has to continue the pregnancy unprepared, who has to raise the child born, who has to endure exhaustion, stress, and the state of unpreparedness? You don’t provide any help; you only talk.
Treatment should not focus on the future but only on the present, whether the person we are treating has indications for treatment. Just having them is enough. It’s like a criminal injured at the hospital; we must treat them. Just because they are a criminal doesn’t mean we can choose not to treat them.
Some people argue that we shouldn’t help because they didn’t use contraception themselves, but they never consider that they might not know or understand. Suppose they understand but still get pregnant; it’s just a mistake in life. As medical personnel, shouldn’t we help to the best of our ability rather than doing nothing?
When encountering someone who is not ready for pregnancy, we often ask why they didn’t use contraception. We tend to blame the individual, but we never consider whether anyone taught, advised, or provided knowledge to them. Did family institutions, educational institutions, or the Ministry of Education support and emphasize contraception? We might need to go back and ask these questions.
Finally, I want to address everyone working in the healthcare system, especially those working in hospitals, regardless of who you are, what your role is, or what you graduated in. I want you to understand that terminating a pregnancy for a woman who is not ready is a medical treatment that “must be done,” not a choice to do or not do. It’s not about thinking it’s a sin and refusing to participate.
Story by Dr. Kasemphon