Stories from the Public Restroom
Story Two: “The Hotel”
As I mentioned yesterday, I came to Bangkok this time for a meeting about abortion services. This event was held at a hotel on Sukhumvit Road. I participated as a speaker discussing the use of vacuum aspiration instead of the traditional curettage. The content of the meeting was excellent, starting from an overview of abortion, the dangers of abortion, and the perspectives of those who encounter people seeking abortions.
The latter is interesting because some of the young doctors and nurses attending the training might still feel uneasy. I suspect they might have been asked to come because their seniors didn’t want to attend.
Before noon, the team of speakers brought up a questionnaire for everyone to try. It was a case study with 7 questions. Would you like to try it? See if, after reading, you feel that the seven women deserve to have an abortion as per their request.
1. “Nu” is pregnant and found that the fetus has no skull.
2. “Suay” was raped while walking home at night and became pregnant.
3. “Aey” is pregnant. She has chronic kidney failure and undergoes dialysis every three days (still managed to get pregnant… I added this myself).
4. “Fah” is 14 years old, pregnant by a senior from the same school.
5. “Nong” has five children, is poor, and this pregnancy would be her sixth child, which she can no longer support.
6. “Joom” is in her final year of high school and is pregnant. She and her boyfriend want an abortion.
7. “Mew” has been on birth control injections consistently and became pregnant despite never missing an appointment.
Think and consider, if these people came for advice on whether to have an abortion, what would we think of them?
…Should I pause to let you think about it first?…
Most of the attendees believed that cases 1-3 were medical indications for abortion, while the other four cases below had mixed opinions. Some agreed, while others disagreed, saying, “Shouldn’t there be other options? Not just ending up with an abortion due to social issues?”
“For Fah and Joom, they should find a place to care for the child first, and when ready, they can take the child back,” was one response.
At this point, I thought of the children in the orphanage, a place I visited only once and never returned to.
“For Nong, Thai families are supportive; poverty can be alleviated together.” I don’t know why, but I felt a lump in my throat. Poverty is hard to understand if you’ve never been poor before.
“As for Mew, shouldn’t she have known before getting the birth control injection that no method is 100% effective? So pregnancy can happen. Even sterilization can result in pregnancy.” Yes, my teacher taught me this, but at home, I didn’t teach my students this way.
Anyway, I took this test too, and you can probably guess that I opted for abortion in every case because I care for women with problems. But now, it’s not possible, you understand? It’s not possible. You could say I’m all talk! Ha ha.
“We don’t want to encourage more people to have abortions, but we want to help focus on how to support those with unplanned pregnancies,” was a touching statement from a senior professor.
Yes, abortion is easy in our hands. Abortion is not fun. What should be done is to understand “that it’s a duty,” and when we understand and perform our duty, that is also a form of practicing Dharma.
In the afternoon, the meeting began with a lecture from a law professor from Thammasat University. He explained how abortion is illegal, what exceptions the law provides for us to perform abortions, such as physical health issues, mental illness. The professor said that from a legal perspective, mental disorders are brain issues, chemical imbalances that can cause diseases, like depression. Other cases include rape, minors under 15 years old (even with consent, as Thailand always protects minors). This means that Fah in case 4 above is protected and can legally request an abortion under criminal law. The last case is pregnancy due to procurement, such as prostitution, deception, coercion, etc.
“This topic might be boring,” I thought in advance, but sorry, it was so interesting that I didn’t dare leave to pee. Hold it in, hold it in, the coffee is kicking in.
Following the legal topic was a lecture by a nursing professor representing the Nursing Council. I anticipated it would be boring as well, but I was wrong again, and I apologize.
The professor talked about the duties of nurses, about ethics. It was very touching. The nursing professor said that those who come for abortions have problems. It’s not the duty of nurses or anyone to judge their morality because we are not them, not even their family. Nurses are there to care for the well-being, to care for and respect the patients. Nursing is a duty. Doctors perform abortions, and nurses are the support, supporting both the doctor and the patient. It’s an important duty. Additionally, maintaining patient confidentiality is equally important.
At this point, I recalled an incident I encountered about three years ago. Why didn’t I meet the professor then? It’s really a pity. I was teary-eyed, truly teary-eyed, and moved (by the duties and ethics of nursing).
And then there was the urge to pee that had been building since the last hour, and now my bladder was about to burst. I decided to bow to the professor once, then quietly sneaked out of the meeting room. I couldn’t walk straight, couldn’t walk fast, but finally reached the hotel’s restroom. I carefully spread my legs for better balance, quickly unzipped, pulled out my penis, pulled back the foreskin to expose the head, and released the pee.
Oh… it was so satisfying, making me feel dreamy.
“Ah…”
It was a moan, but not mine. It was behind me.
I glanced back at the row of toilets behind me, about six stalls in a row.
“Ah…”
The moan sounded like someone straining to poop and finally succeeding, moaning with satisfaction. You’ve experienced that, right? That’s exactly the sound.
“Ah…”
Still, it didn’t stop. I felt like someone was straining to poop behind me.
Why did I start peeing without joy, even though I was just satisfied a moment ago?
Yes, all the toilet doors were open. Who would sit and poop with all the doors wide open like that? The pee was so much, I tried to strain to pee, straining like someone with an enlarged prostate, but no matter how I strained, it only came out with the same force. The urethra didn’t get any bigger with straining. That “Ah…” sound kept moaning behind me, and the pee ended in torment. I didn’t shake it off, just tucked it back into my underwear, zipped up, and ran out of the restroom. I must have encountered the “ghost of the straining poop” that got satisfied. Damn it…
Returned to the meeting room sweating, but my body was cold. The nursing professor was answering questions from the attendees.
I greeted with a nod, shook hands with some attendees who were coming and going, probably to the restroom as well. Many I knew, many were new. Soon it would be my turn to speak.
Wait… did I wash my hands earlier?
Thanaphan Chuboon, damp eggs not shaken
January 22, 2020
Source: https://bit.ly/2GhWNaI