Global Courant 2023-05-23 02:00:00
Conservatism hinders access to safe abortion
But even though the legal hurdles have been cleared, abortion still faces an uphill battle against conservative views and beliefs in Thailand. According to activists, this hinders timely access to a safe, legal procedure for many women.
Abortion remains a stigmatized and divisive topic in Buddhist-majority society, and even in the medical community, said Ms Supeecha Baotip, 55, an activist from the pro-choice group Tamtang, which helps women seeking the procedure.
Conservative Buddhism considers it a sin not only for the pregnant woman, but also for the doctor. And the fear of karma, or retribution, for the act of abortion has led some doctors to refuse to perform the procedure.
“A doctor told me she was afraid her child would get a cleft lip because she helped perform an abortion. That condition stems from genetics or other factors, so I didn’t expect a doctor to say this,” said Ms Supeecha.
There are just over 100 medical facilities offering legal abortion services, spanning about half of Thailand’s 77 provinces. About 300,000 abortions are performed each year, of which only 15,000 are performed in licensed clinics, local media reported.
In the capital Bangkok, there is no state hospital offering abortion, Ms Supeecha said. The nearest state hospital offering the services is in Singburi, about two hours away.
And it’s not surprising that people continue to look for alternative means, usually by buying illegal abortion pills online.
Ms. Supeecha had an abortion decades ago, but was afraid to tell anyone until the 2010 case. She felt compelled to share her experience on an online blog after seeing how those around her lacked compassion or understanding for the women involved.
“I wrote my own story and put it online because I thought it should have a female voice. That was a big step for me,” she says.
Her story gained more attention and she founded Tamtang, a non-governmental organization that provides a crisis hotline and counseling services to women seeking abortion. It also connects them to clinics or medical professionals who provide safe and legal abortion services.
Ms. Supeecha hopes more people, especially doctors, will see abortion as a matter of a woman’s choice and health.
“Buddhism also talks about compassion, understanding people and putting people out of their misery,” she noted.
And despite the new legislation, health authorities still need to issue standard protocols for procedures related to abortion. This means that some clinics and hospitals have set their own frameworks within the law.
For example, some doctors only accept cases where the woman is less than 12 weeks pregnant, or when the pregnancy is the result of rape.
