Story from a Doctor Providing Abortion Services (Part 2)
Previously on https://rsathai.org/en/contents/25997
To address the issue briefly, the doctor believes in sin, merit, and karma. The doctor is fearful, afraid of making mistakes, afraid of treating patients and not curing them, afraid, afraid, afraid. The doctor is afraid of ghosts. The doctor knows that abortion is a solution to a problem at the end. The doctor tries to find a way to solve it at the root cause… but when a woman with an unplanned pregnancy is in front of them, if the abortion is medically correct, how can the doctor not do it?
Currently, abortion under the topic “unprepared”
can be done legally. When you have an unplanned pregnancy, please follow these steps:
- Call 1663 to request an assessment near your home
- Receive an assessment by two doctors. This assessment aims to see if this pregnancy affects the patient’s physical or mental health. If both doctors agree, the abortion can proceed.
- Abort the pregnancy using medication or vacuum aspiration (instead of the traditional curettage). As for abortion on other issues, such as fetal abnormalities, the pregnant woman having severe underlying diseases that prevent continuing the pregnancy, or pregnancy after sterilization, etc., abortion can already be performed (please read to the end).
These days, I feel discouraged. People who hear that I perform abortions look at me with prejudice. It’s good that they don’t express it now, but I know, I hear, and I can feel it. I don’t care about others’ thoughts. I can’t stop those thoughts, and I never thought I had to explain. But when I reach the point where I can’t perform my duties and work, I want to tell society something (please read to the end).
I have encountered patients with unplanned pregnancies, whether physically, mentally, financially, or other factors that make them unprepared.
I have met patients who had to spend tens of thousands on clinics that sold them medication but did not support the symptoms that followed from using abortion medication (abortion pills), such as severe abdominal pain, high fever, and others. In summary, they only provided the medication, and the rest was self-care.
I have encountered patients who had illegal abortions and then developed infections, had high fevers, and some were not treated in time and died.
I have met families that are not ready to have more members, worsening their living conditions. Even if they can live together, without an addition, their quality of life would be better.
I have met children born from the unpreparedness of their parents, children who have no food to eat, no money to go to school, no education, and most importantly, no warmth from their family like other children.
If you haven’t experienced it yourself or aren’t in these situations, you probably won’t understand (please read to the end).
I am just one doctor, not more skilled or special than anyone else. Throughout my 9 years of medical education, not counting work time, I was taught to take good care of patients, to do things correctly according to medical standards, and most importantly, to prevent diseases, treat diseases, and prevent those with diseases from worsening.
Women with unplanned pregnancies have problems. I meet people with problems, no matter what they are, and I want to help. At this moment, abortion is the help I can provide. What am I doing wrong by doing this? Every woman with an unplanned pregnancy, before meeting me, must receive advice, alternative options, and other solutions first. They are assessed by a team consisting of doctors, nurses, and social workers.
Some decide to continue the pregnancy, some choose to abort. That is their right, but we have provided advice. I perform abortions according to the standards approved by the Ministry of Public Health and the Medical Council.
I help those with unplanned pregnancies start anew, reduce costs (as it is covered by the NHSO 100%), and reduce the risk of infections and complications that may arise from illegal abortions.
What am I doing wrong?
I have fully followed what I was taught.
I have prevented complications from people having to resort to illegal abortions.
I have treated the condition, which is unplanned pregnancy.
I have prevented the existing condition from worsening (unplanned pregnancy—>stress—>suicide)
(please read to the end).
Destroying life is sinful, but everything doesn’t have just one side. There are two sides, three sides, four sides, but don’t look at just one side.
I did destroy one life, but I also helped the patient in front of me improve. My patient is a woman with an unplanned pregnancy, and that’s enough. Neither I nor anyone else can know what would happen if the child were born, but at this moment, the patient in front of me has a condition, and we must treat it. Let the sin fall on me alone. I accept it because I believe I have helped people and done the right thing. Please don’t obstruct me (please read to the end).
Many people don’t want to be involved because they fear sin. Preparing things, giving injections, helping me perform abortions is not sinful because you are doing your duty as medical personnel. Not doing it is the sin and is considered a failure to perform your duty. I affirm that providing abortions for women with unplanned pregnancies is “treatment.” All medical personnel should accept this issue and perform their assigned duties. When encountering patients, they should at least be able to provide the number 1663 for them to contact. If you don’t perform abortions, that’s fine, send them to the RSA team and don’t obstruct me (please read to the end).
Many say we must let those with unplanned pregnancies take responsibility for what happened. I agree. I want them to endure what they created, but there’s one issue I can’t accept: we let the woman take responsibility, but who will take responsibility for the child born into that unprepared situation? I think the child born into that situation is very unfortunate. Some have no food, some have no money for school, some don’t receive love and warmth, some don’t receive education, and ultimately, they grow up to follow in their mother’s footsteps, having unplanned pregnancies again. Who will take responsibility for this?
(please read to the end).
Many think that unplanned pregnancies result from negligence, which is partly true and partly not. I think people are negligent because they don’t know the consequences. For example, driving fast is considered negligence because they don’t know what could happen, how likely it is. Those who know will drive cautiously because they fear the consequences, fear accidents, fear death. It’s like women with unplanned pregnancies; they are negligent, not using contraception properly. Some don’t take pills on time, some don’t use any method because they don’t know, they weren’t taught.
Some think, at this age, why don’t they know about their own matters? I want to say that this is the problem of society, the education system. We can’t just blame them. You might be lucky to be born and grow up in a good family, receive a good education, so you have knowledge, but these people really don’t know. I believe that if they truly knew, they wouldn’t get pregnant (please read to the end).
Not to mention those who get pregnant from negligence…
Many take birth control pills every day, have IUDs, or use other contraceptive methods, and still have a chance of getting pregnant because no contraceptive method in the world is 100% effective. How will we care for those who get pregnant while using contraception if there is no abortion (please read to the end)?
I talk to every patient before performing an abortion.
Some I feel have bad attitudes, inappropriate speech, inappropriate thoughts, but I still do it because they have been assessed for the appropriateness of abortion and have received advice. Even if the patient seems undeserving of help, I have prevented a child from being born under the care of this patient in the future, and I have tried to advise the patient as much as I can. Importantly, I have implanted birth control for them to reduce the chance of unplanned pregnancies in the future (please read to the end).
We must stop judging abortion with emotions or religion. We must discuss it with rules under the law, the Ministry, the Medical Council, and medical standards. Otherwise, we cannot coexist (please read to the end).
The best treatment is education.
I know that abortion is just a solution, but it’s what I can do right now.
All of you who oppose abortion, go to schools, teach children. Can you do it?
You can’t, you don’t have time, you never thought of doing it, and what have you done besides opposing?
I promise, if given the opportunity, I will go to schools to educate both boys and girls about contraception, preventing unplanned pregnancies from the start, not waiting to treat it at the end. Will you help?
Many may see abortion as solving the problem of unplanned pregnancies at the “end,” but for me, it is preventing complications from illegal abortions at the “root” because there is no place for safe abortions.
Safe abortion to preserve the life and future of women. Safe abortion is providing treatment according to the law. End prejudice and let the RSA team perform treatment according to our duties.
Medical personnel at all levels, from directors to cleaning staff in hospitals, should understand this issue. Those who are unprepared will find a way to abort the pregnancy anyway. If you want to help them, you must be with them at home to understand and provide full assistance, not just “advise to get prenatal care” (end).
Story by Dr. Kasemphon