Jennifer Cocks
November 26, 2010
3:03 pm
The discovery of over 2,000 aborted fetuses awaiting cremation at a temple crematorium in Bangkok, Thailand prompted a police investigation and re-opened policy debate on abortion. Thailand has a strict policy on abortion, allowing them only in specific cases such as “rape, incest, a threat to the mother's physical or psychological health or if the mother is underage.” As a result of the strict anti-abortion policy, underground abortion clinics with poorly educated medical technicians have increased in prevalence and the price of the procedure has also risen. Because of the inadequate knowledge of the technicians performing abortions, many women have complications and require additional medical assistance. Researchers believe that there are about 300,000 to 400,000 illegal abortions occur annually. There is strong public support for repealing the anti-abortion laws to improve women’s health; however parliament officials reject pro-abortion the bills for fear of being considered “baby killers” and because they believe the current legislation is flexible enough.
This article places the majority of the blame for the complications women suffer from having these illegal abortions on the illegality of the procedure. It also states that the majority of women seeking abortions are poorer, more marginalized citizens. The large volume of abortions occurring seems to indicate that the procedure is being used as a method of birth control. A better planned parenthood program that encouraged contraception use and increased women’s education on pregnancy prevention, especially for the poorer women of the country. This might be a better solution for Thailand since the lawmakers are unwilling to approve a bill that legalizes abortions. By preventing pregnancy, the complications resulting from the illegal abortions would be reduced and women’s overall health will improve. The article ends with the statement that contraception is available but it’s not being used. Research on public opinions and perceptions of the existing sex-ed and pregnancy prevention programs should be done to see why the programs are relatively unsuccessful.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2032414,00.html
6 comments:
I wish that people who advocate for abstinence-only sex education and are against the legalization of abortion would realize the very real dangers and problems of these kinds of policies. People are not going to stop having sex and some people who want to have an abortion will have an abortion whether it is legal or not. Think about the number of mothers who died by trying to abort their fetuses with coat hangers only years ago in this country. It is naive and dangerous to think that anything other than more realistic, not idealistic, sex education is what will help prevent more pregnancies, along with better availability of contraceptives. And legalizing abortion is not about using it as birth control but about keeping the procedure as safe as possible. It will happen whether it is legal or not.
This article actually surprised me. I guess I was naive in thinking that if women who became pregnant after being raped or because of incest could get an abortion there would be less "underground" abortions. I'm torn because part of me supports a country's decision to not let just anyone get an abortion, but part of me thinks they should completely legalize abortion so women don't have to go through dangerous "doctors" to have this procedure.
I agree with corinne im rather torn between the situation, cause
I see where the government is coming from by not allowing just any women to get an abortion, but also you have to take into account all of the women going behind the governments back and taking the situation into their own hands, and often taking the more unsafe option to terminate the pregnancy.
I am a firm believer in legalizing abortion. I don't understand why the government is so against the legalization of the procedure. Say the women is twenty years old. For twenty years, the government may have possibly aided in the funding of her healthcare, her education, and other basic needs. That is twenty years of money throw down the drain if she dies while getting an "underground" abortion. Legalize the procedure, and she survives without harm. So many women are dying from these unsafe procedures and the government is still saying that it is in societies best interest to keep it illegal. I don't understand at all.
This article is something that many people need to read. there are people in the world that don't realize that promoting abstinence is not going to stop people from having sex. They need to realize that abortion happens whether you agree with it or not
Pro-life/ Pro-choice and abstinence/safe sex are always touchy topics. People fail to realize the reality of things. People are going to have sex, whether they're using contraceptives or not. People are going to get pregnant and they are going to decide whether to abort it or not. You never know why someone chooses to do the things they do. I wish people would learn to mind their own business. They aren't going to be the ones caring for the child or buying the contraceptives so they need to keep their mouths closed just like their wallets.
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