Denying the right to abortion ‘puts lives at risk’

The figures come from cases handled by the Aids and Unwanted Pregnancy Hotline 1663 centre between August 1, 2017 and July 31 this year. 
Abortions are legally allowed when pregnancies result from sexual attacks, are mired with serious foetus development problems, or could hurt the physical or mental health of the mothers-to-be. 
Denying women professional and hygienic abortion services often forces them to seek risky alternatives.
“When medical facilities deny them services, many women or girls with unwanted pregnancies turn to uncertified facilities and face the risk of substandard operations,” Aids Access Foundation’s director Nimit Tien-udom said yesterday. 
He was referring to a National Health Security Office report that unsafe abortions had claimed 11 lives in 2016 alone and cost the state Bt112 million in medical treatment for girls or women who developed health problems caused by unsafe abortions.
Nimit said 652 soon-to-be mothers had told the 1663 hotline over the past year that they had tried to end their pregnancies by ordering drugs from illegal websites or by harming themselves. 
“These girls and women should have been eligible to undergo abortions legally, because their situation hurt their mental health,” he said.
Nimit lamented that the medical workers’ attitudes toward unwanted pregnancies had put many girls and women in danger. 
He said all medical facilities should offer abortions for women or girls who refuse to carry their pregnancies to full term. He also pointed out that the Public Health Ministry had a policy that allowed abortions, and the National Health Security Office covered the cost in most cases. 
Achara Kaewpradit, operations chief of the 1663 centre, said it was very tough for a woman to learn that her foetus has development problems. “And they suffer even more when hospitals repeatedly deny them the right to terminate their pregnancy,” she noted. 
She added that in one case, a woman had to travel several times to Bangkok from upcountry before she could undergo the abortion. 
Somwong Uraiwattana, manager of the 1663 hotline centre, said 52,370 pregnant women and girls had called his centre about unwanted pregnancies. 
“Some 30 per cent of them were below the age of 20,” he said, adding that 83.5 per cent of the callers chose to terminate their pregnancies, after consulting the centre, while 6.2 per cent decided against it. 
His centre has worked with the Health Department and with doctors participating in the Referral System for Safe Abortion.