The Women for Freedom and Democracy (WFD), who are championing a campaign for abortion and women rights, were part of a rally protesting against the government at Democracy Monument on Aug 16. Afterwards, the group's twitter account, @womenfreedomth, posted statements that the WFD representative had made at the protest.
"We cannot claim to have a true democracy when decisions about our bodies and reproductive health are still controlled by the government. While abortion services are provided under the government's policy, people are still afraid of speaking out about them over fears of violating the law. Doctors who assist women with abortion still risk getting arrested by police and women are still facing the risk of unsafe abortions and even loss of life."
At the rally, WFD asked people to sign a petition pushing for the revocation of section 301 of the Thai Criminal Code which criminalises abortion. The law penalises women who terminate a pregnancy by themselves or allow another person to do it on their behalf with a punishment of up to three years in jail and/or a fine up to 60,000 baht. Exemptions to the rule under section 301 are indicated in section 305, which allows doctors to perform abortions strictly for medical purposes only. The reasons allowed for such an exception are for pregnancies that are a physical or mental health threat to the mother; the fetus shows severe abnormalities; the mother has been raped; or if the mother is younger than 15 years of age.
Some signs at the WFD protest included: "Decriminalise abortion"; "Safe abortion is a human right"; and "Abortion is not a crime." The messages on the signs claimed that every woman has the right to make a decision about abortion because it is her body. The group also wants every woman who decides to have an abortion have access to licensed clinics and qualified doctors to ensure safety.
According to the book, Negotiating Abortion: Health, Liberty, Morality (2018) by Assoc Prof Chalidaporn Songsamphanin, approximately 300,000 women have abortions each year and 300 die during the process due to unsafe conditions. In 2015, the government spent 132 million baht to treat women who suffered some physical affliction from unsafe abortion.
I would like to support WFD in their effort to decriminalise abortion and repeal article 301. However, I don't really agree with the WFD sign stating: "My body, my right." While it is a woman's decision whether she wants a baby or not, an abortion involves three people -- the would-be mother, the unborn child, and the father. Hence, the father rightfully also has a say in the decision as well. If a father is willing to support his child, it should have the right to live with a father who welcomes him/her. A mother may feel it is unfair to carry a child for nine months but if the mother terminates the pregnancy, it won't be fair to the father and the child who will not have the opportunity to have a life. However, these kinds of cases are rare since usually the mother decides to have an abortion because the father refuses to accept any responsibility.
So is that the only reason women decide to have abortions?
In 2017, the Department of Health reported that the main reason women decided to have abortions was the economy, social and family issues (62.6%) and health issues (37.4%). Apart from young mothers, the book, Negotiating Abortion: Health, Liberty, Morality also studied many reports and found that housewives over 30 were another group who encounter unwanted pregnancies.
The information presented above is different from the image of abortion presented in media. When people see news reports about abortions, they usually have an image of a cruel and irresponsible mother. However, many of these women are ordinary housewives whose family can't afford to have another child.
In addition to negative images about abortions in the media, living in a Buddhist country like Thailand, we have been taught that abortion is a sin because it violates one of the five moral precepts -- killing a living creature. I admit that I also believe abortion is a sin, even a surgical abortion performed 12 weeks or earlier in the pregnancy for a mother's safety but I'm more concerned about the unborn children. People who are anti-abortion usually say the process kills the innocent unborn baby, who has done nothing wrong, so they deserve to be born. I agree that babies are innocent but if their mothers aren't ready to have them, they shouldn't be born unwanted and unwelcomed.
Many people are worried that if section 301 is repealed, the number of abortions will increase.
However, I agree with one of the WFD signs that said: "No woman intends to get pregnant in order to have an abortion". An abortion is an agonising decision but in some cases, it may be necessary for the mother's safety and quality of life.
Suwitcha Chaiyong is a feature writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.