The other day I touched on the finding of a few hundred foetuses found at a temple in Bangkok. At the time that was the number but that has now exploded to over 2,000.
There is finger pointing and a lot of this and that is going to happen. Of course there is corruption as people were paid to turn a blind eye for sure. What about the temple? The abbot must have known that these foetuses were being stored there? Is it possible that he had somehow missed these small packages containing the remains of a human life being put into storage?
They couldn’t be burnt apparently as the incinerator had broken down! In an article I read today these were figures quoted on abortion in Thailand.
Each year about 11,000 legal abortions take place, but the number of an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 illegal abortions taking place in backyard brothels or hovels hidden away in little shanty towns.
The two undertakers, who I must say are pretty worthless pieces of shit, have come out asking for forgiveness. They are claiming that the clinics (who they were paid by to take the foetuses) and the mothers and their families should take the blame (gutless cowards aren’t they).
A woman Ms. Lanchakorn Jantomnut was also arrested; she had been performing abortions for apparently 30,000 Thai baht, sounds too expensive for most Thais for me but what was stated. She then paid the undertakers 500 baht to get rid of the foetuses. She has now said she will tell the names of Thai celebrities she has given abortions to, this will cause uproar in itself if this happens.
I would expect a high number of abortions in Thailand. One being it is a sex tourism haven for many travellers; I would like to see a survey done and see the number of pregnancies from sex workers and also the numbers from the general public.
The stigma of having a baby out of wedlock in Thailand doesn’t help. The horrible shame a pregnancy can bring on a family. A girl’s family could lose face and any standing they have if such a thing was to happen.
In Thailand the supposed, no sex until marriage is a thing of the past as young new generation Thais, party like any other nationality. They drink, have a one night stand or a short relationship and end up pregnant.
In Thailand if you become pregnant when you are still at high school or university, your studies are over. You cannot study and be pregnant, this is not allowed and they are expelled.
But there could be light at the end of the tunnel, in September Thailand’s health officials are proposing a bill to change this rule.
It is estimated that 160,000 teenage pregnancies happen each year in Thailand and 10,000 are girls under the age of 15, many are aborted as this means an end to their education, so usual the girl will disappear for a week, have an abortion and return home with some excuse for the week absence.
There is already opposition to the proposed bill change, with frail old dinosaurs still living from the Stone Age, saying that the bill could encourage underage pregnancies. Of course this was scoffed at by health officials and I too agree.
If a girl knows that she could carry the baby to term and continue studying then the chances of abortion should lessen, but Thais being Thais the stigma attached would be very hard for any teenage girl pregnant to face.
The issue of face, something that really intrigues me but also pisses me off will always be the biggest hurdle to leap for any girl. I could only imagine the names she would be called and the looks and shakes of the head that would be encountered, as so called Buddhists judge her and for the wrong she has done.
How can abortion numbers be reduced in Thailland? I mean if the numbers are correct and in the 200,000 plus, then something needs to be done.
Go back to the condom and safe sex campaigns, absolute flog these to death (no pun intended), use TV adds during the Thai dramas that are watched by about every female in Thailand and consist of alcohol, fighting, rape, more rape, men beating women, women beating women, HiSo Thais suppressing LoSo Thais and so on. Also flood the sex workers and schools with safe sex promotion. Start with 14 year olds and up.
Also the sentences and fines covering illegal abortions are weak, with small fines up to a maximum of 14,000 Thai Baht (under $500 Australian) and up to a 5 year jail term could be given.
It is saddening to think that these many abortions are taking place, very sad indeed. I just hope that they Thais somehow pull their fingers out and make changes to decrease these numbers.
Brunty
4 comments:
Very interesting article. I would doubt that unwanted pregnancies from sex workers play a significant part in the numbers since most take precautions anyway. I think this situation is just another reflection of Thai society (just like the TV shows). This week a democratic MP is trying to push through a debate to have abortion legalised, despite the Prime Minister saying the law did not need to be changed. If Abhisit can't face up the realities of Thai society and support legalised abortion then there is no hope.
The main problem is that Thais don't know themselves. The vision they have of society is not the one which actually exists - so belief systems such as "Thainess" and "reputation" and "Buddhist" are just concepts.
There is widespread violence, rape, incest, drug abuse, trafficking, corruption, prostitution, crime and tax avoidance in Thai society but none of it is seriously tackled because of an inability to face the facts and endemic corruption.
For example, everyone living around the temple expressed surprise. Nobody knew. Anyone who lives here would know that's a lie. Temple life is a part of the fabric of society and I don't believe thousands of plastic bags being stored inside the temple combined with the stench and the Thais love of gossip went unnoticed.
This is not a problem that is going away, in particular because there is a lot of money to be made. Thais would also have to face up the reality which is that just because you say you believe in certain principles doesn't mean you actually follow them.
Nice article, thanks for sharing.
Interesting post Brunty. I actually doesn't know this, but are all abortions in Thailand illegal or can you have one performed at the hospital? One way to at least make the procedure safer for the woman/girl is to make abortion free and legal - and anonymous, I think - even if it shouldn't take away from safe sex campaigns. It's disturbing that people are thinking that being pregnant is the worst that can happen - what about STDs?
Also what happens to the children that are conceived and born and nobody wants them. Many end up with elderly grandparents in the villages (of my Thai nieces lives with Granny and has never been visited by her mother). Or they end up in full orphanages and most don't have the opportunity to have a family at all...
Post a Comment