In 2007, The Singapore Health Ministry recorded 11,933 abortions.
Eligibility for Abortion:
Abortion is restricted to citizens of Singapore, wives of Singapore citizens and women that have resided in Singapore for a minimum duration of four months.
According to the Singapore Abortion Act law there is no defined age limit for the abortion procedure, nor is there a legal requirement for parental consent for minors under the age of 21. In other words just about anyone may request for an abortion, as long as they are of sound mind and body and understand the risks and details of the procedure.
Pre-Abortion:
The Singapore Abortion Law act also requires that the woman undergoes brief counselling by a qualified abortion counsellor at any accredited abortion clinic, and watch a video on the subject.
For girls under the age of 16, they have to undergo mandatory counseling at the Health Promotion Board.
There is also a mandatory waiting period of 48 hours after the counselling before the procedure can be done. So that means you will have to visit your doctor twice. Once for the scan to confirm the pregnancy and counselling, and the second visit, two days later, to undergo the termination.
The Cost:
The cost of abortion and consultation ranges from S$400 to S$2,000, depending on the type of theatre employed, the depth of anaesthesia applied and in the package inclusions.
What Happens During an Abortion?
There are two types of abortion, abortion through syringe, and vacuum aspiration. Both types take about five minutes and you will need to fast for six hours before your abortion. That means no water as well.
Other Options in Singapore:
Abortion is not the only option of “getting rid” of a pregnancy. There are various hotlines, such as Beyond Social Services that you can call to talk about the other options.
The Crime of Abortion
The laws of many countries, particularly those that experienced colonization by European countries and are influenced by religious doctrines, continue to view abortion only as a criminal offense. Some countries whose criminal laws punish the willful taking of human life reinforce the prohibition of abortion by adding, sometimes in their national constitutions, that human life begins at conception. Punishments vary from a few years' custody to life imprisonment. Under Nazi occupation, France imposed a punishment of execution. Almost all laws recognize, however, that abortion procedures aimed in good faith to save a woman's life do not offend the criminal law, or are at least excusable, nonpunishable violations.
Abortion As a Right of Women:
An increasing number of countries now recognize a woman's right to exercise abortion choice for a time, usually until about twelve weeks after the beginning of pregnancy, and allow the procedure afterwards when faced with health, social, or other risk. In 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada, in the case of R. v. Morgentaler, held the country's restrictive abortion law unconstitutional. The Chief Justice found that "forcing a woman, by threat of criminal sanction, to carry a fetus to term unless she meets certain criteria unrelated to her own priorities and aspirations is a profound interference with a woman's body and thus a violation of security of the person." The law was accordingly ruled void, and abortion is now regulated like any other medical procedure, allowing a woman to make her decision according to her own ethical judgment.
Human rights laws are increasingly giving priority to women's health, dignity, and capacity as the principal decision makers over their own reproduction. Countries whose laws criminalize abortion and compromise women's health and welfare are facing louder calls for reform. To counter this, conservative governments and religious authorities support restrictive laws and urge more prohibitions against abortion.
Abortion law is legislation which pertains to the provision of abortion. Abortion has been a controversial subject in societies around the world because of the moral and ethical issues that surround it, though other considerations, such as a state's pro- or antinatalist policies or questions of inheritance and patriarchy, also dictate abortion law and regulation. It has been regularly banned and otherwise limited, though abortions have continued to be commonplace in many areas where it is illegal. Almost 2/3 of the world’s women currently reside in countries where abortion may be obtained on request for a broad range of social, economic or personal reasons. Abortion laws vary widely by country, ranging from those in Chile, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Vatican City, which ban the procedure entirely, to those in Canada, the United States, and many more which place no restrictions on the provision of abortion. Both supporters and opponents of legal abortion believe their position addresses a fundamental human right. Pro-Choice activists argue that a woman has a right to abortion, and that doctors should be allowed to abort a life-threatening pregnancy, or in cases of rape and incest. Pro-Life activists argue that abortion denies an embryo or fetus the right to life.
WORLDWIDE
Number of abortions per year: Approximately 42 Million
Number of abortions per day: Approximately 115,000
Where abortions occur:
83% of all abortions are obtained in developing countries and 17% occur in developed countries.
Number of abortions per year: 1.37 Million (1996)
Number of abortions per day: Approximately 3,700
Who's having abortions (age)?
52% of women obtaining abortions in the U.S. are younger than 25: Women aged 20-24 obtain 32% of all abortions; Teenagers obtain 20% and girls under 15 account for 1.2%.
Who's having abortions (race)?
While white women obtain 60% of all abortions, their abortion rate is well below that of minority women. Black women are more than 3 times as likely as white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are roughly 2 times as likely.
Who's having abortions (marital status)?
64.4% of all abortions are performed on never-married women; Married women account for 18.4% of all abortions and divorced women obtain 9.4%.
Who's having abortions (religion)?
Women identifying themselves as Protestants obtain 37.4% of all abortions in the U.S.; Catholic women account for 31.3%, Jewish women account for 1.3%, and women with no religious affiliation obtain 23.7% of all abortions. 18% of all abortions are performed on women who identify themselves as "Born-again/Evangelical".
Who's having abortions (income)?
Women with family incomes less than $15,000 obtain 28.7% of all abortions; Women with family incomes between $15,000 and $29,999 obtain 19.5%; Women with family incomes between $30,000 and $59,999 obtain 38.0%; Women with family incomes over $60,000 obtain 13.8%.
Why women have abortions ?
1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or child, and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient).
At what gestational ages are abortions performed?
52% of all abortions occur before the 9th week of pregnancy, 25% happen between the 9th & 10th week, 12% happen between the 11th and 12th week, 6% happen between the 13th & 15th week, 4% happen between the 16th & 20th week, and 1% of all abortions (16,450/yr.) happen after the 20th week of pregnancy.
Likelihood of abortion?
An estimated 43% of all women will have at least 1 abortion by the time they are 45 years old. 47% of all abortions are performed on women who have had at least one previous abortion.
Abortion coverage:
The Pill – Progesterone only, low dose combination pills
The Physician’s Desk Reference lists the above hormonal contraceptives as having three mechanisms of action: 1) Prevent ovulation, 2) Thicken the cervical mucous to prevent sperm from entering the uterus and fallopian tube, and 3) Alter the lining of the uterus so implantation cannot take place. The third action, if and when it occurs, is abortifacient (meaning a human life has begun but cannot continue to develop without the nourishment provided through the mother’s uterine wall). Although pro-life physicians continue to debate if and how often hormonal contraceptives interfere with the implantation of an embryo, it is important to educate ourselves and our clients about this potential action of the Pill. Those who seek to protect the sanctity of human life from the point of fertilization should be cautious about taking any drug which could end the developing child’s life.
Norplant
This implant is placed under the skin of the arm for up to a 5 year period. The progesterone hormone’s effect is to suppress ovulation, but after 2 years, there is a greater chance of break-through ovulation and fertilization. The hormone may prevent implantation of the embryo.
Depo-Provera
This Progesterone (hormone) derivative is injected every 3 months to prevent a woman from ovulating, but it also alters the uterine lining. Break-through ovulation and fertilization may occur, though less frequently than with Norplant. The hormone may prevent implantation of the embryo.
Morning after pill
Large doses of existing birth control pills (or another drug levonorgestrel, known as Plan B) are given up to 72 hours after intercourse to attempt to prevent the implantation of the embryo. A second dose is given 12 hours after the first one. The action of these large doses of hormones birth control pills work to prevent ovulation and/or fertilization.
RU-486
When a woman is given RU-486 (also called Mifepristone), it kills her baby by interfering with progesterone, the hormone which keeps the baby implanted in the wall of the mother’s uterus. Two days later, the woman returns to the clinic to receive a prostaglandin drug which induces labor and expels the dead embryo (RU-486 is used until 7 weeks after the first day of her last menstrual period). If the baby hasn’t been expelled by the time the woman makes her third visit to the doctor, she will require a surgical abortion procedure (5-8% likelihood). Raymond, Klein & Dumble, the pro-abortion authors of RU486 Misconceptions, Myths and Morals, (IWT Pub, 1991) stress that RU-486 is not safe for women and list the following contraindications (reasons a person should not take RU-486): under age 18 or over 35; menstrual irregularities; history of fibroids, abnormal menstrual bleeding or endometriosis cervical incompetence, previous abortion, or abnormal pregnancies; pelvic inflammatory disease; recent use of IUD or the pill 3 months.
Methotrexate & Misoprostol
Two drugs that were developed for cancer (methotrexate) and ulcer (misoprostol) treatment are now being used in combination to kill babies. Methotrexate is used to poison the baby and then Misoprostol empties the uterus of the baby. Keep in mind that Methotrexate is a chemotherapy drug with the potential for serious toxicity, which can result in the death of the mother as well as the baby. (Methotrexate & Misoprostol to Terminate Early Pregnancy)
http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html
Abortion Preferred Over Contraceptives
SINGAPORE, May 23 (Xinhuanet) -- More women in Singapore choose abortion instead of using contraceptives in dealing with unexpected pregnancy, according to Channel NewsAsia report on Monday.
The report quoted the country's Obstetrics and Gynecology Society as saying that over 1,000 tertiary-educated married women went for abortions in 2004, tripling the number of 300 in 1988, while those who are not enough educated tend to use contraceptives.
A study conducted by Singapore National University Hospital showed that about 14,000 pregnancies are terminated every year, accounting for one-fourth of the total.
The report pointed out that a variety of contraceptive options are available in Singapore with easy access, including condoms, pills and intra-uterine devices.
Among them, an implant contraceptive called Implanon is gettingpopular among Singapore women since it came into the local market two years ago.
The report said that fewer than 4,000 women have used Implanon,a plastic device inserted under the skin which can steadily release the hormone etonogestrel into the blood stream to offer three years of pregnancy prevention.
http://www.orientexpat.com/forum/2434-abortion-preferred-over-contraceptives/
I personally find this rather disturbing and alarming.
People in Singapore think quite similarly to the Japanese. Both countries have a high standard of living, personal freedom and it is the right of the woman to choose, what she prefers.
There are hardly any contraceptive pills for sale in Japan. Most people do not like that idea anyway. The choice is generally either condom or abortion.
Every woman can easily calculate the days, where the possibility of pregnancy is high, low or impossible. Should it nevertheless happen, why choose abortion? Many women prefer abortion and do not like to take contraceptive pills over many months or even years.
Unlike Japan, contraceptive pills are readily available OTC in all pharmacies in Singapore, so there really is no excuse.
I think some women are too selfish and self-centered , thinking of themselves first and that they would "kill" a life just to maintain their figure or look better (contraceptive pills are suppose to make them fat). But of course, there is a very small handful of women who are unfortunately rape victims. Women should not have pre-martial sex as it is never guaranteed that the boyfriend would really marry you.
By: Chong Jing Ru, 10S01
14 comments:
Personally, I feel that the issue of abortion is a highly controversial one. However, I strongly feel that abortion should be considered a crime. It should not matter which situation one is in, it should be considered a serious offense. Before one even gets pregnant, the decision to engage in unprotected sex, is a bad one itself. Why bother undergo situations like an abortion when one could have avoided it in the first place? Instead of being caught up in thoughts of killing an innocent soul, one should have contemplated the negative impacts unprotected sex could bring about. Why should it not be considered a crime when a life is at stake? When one commits homicide, he is put at the mercy of the law, whereas when one undergoes abortion, doing the same thing, killing a life, is not charged with anything. As such, I think abortion should be considered a CRIME.
I find the part about Methotrexate & Misoprostol interesting, but not in a good way. After reading it's effects on the unborn baby and the possible risk of poisoning the mother to death as well, I can't help but wonder why such a method is actually devised and made available to the public at all! It takes research, time, effort, money, resources, etc to manufacture pills and why they're all wasted in manufacturing these poisons (in pill form or otherwise injection) is beyond me. I feel that it is the most horrible method of abortion as it not only poisons the unborn to death, but may do so t the mother too.
I agree with your view on abortion to a large extent "disturbing and alarming" However,
I do not agree when you say that there is no excuse for Singaporeans to not use contraceptive pills. As you have quoted, "contraceptive pills are readily available OTC in all pharmacies in Singapore, so there really is no excuse." These pills are available on-the-counter and there is very slight, if any, discretion when purchasing them. Imagine how bashful it would be if you were to buy such items in full view of other poeple queueing up at the counter as well. Such stigma drives people to employ more discrete methods to not have a baby, such as abortion whereby the other people in the room are undergoing the same thing, so there is nothing to be ashamed of.
By Nur Khadijah Kamarulzaman 10S01
What caught my attention was the statistics reflecting the number of abortion cases with income. It was interesting because women with family incomes between $30 000 and $59 999 obtain 38.0% of all abortion, which is higher than those with family incomes over $60 000, 13.8%, although the latter has a higher family income than the former. Women with low incomes (less than $15 000) obtain a higher abortion percentage than those with higher family incomes between $15 000 and $29 999, and over $60 000 instead.
Abortion is common in Singapore as seen from ‘in 2007, The Singapore Health Ministry recorded 11,933 abortions". Once regarded as a social stigma, abortion is currently accepted by the majority, and even made legal in Singapore. Probably, this may have spurred the spike in the number of abortion cases in Singapore.
I agree with you that more freedom is bestowed upon woman as she has the right to choose the best that she wants. However, in recent years, most women engaging in pre-martial sex belong to the generation of curious teenagers, aged below sixteen, who gave in to raging hormones and temptations. To generalise all women who opt for abortion as "selfish and self-centred" is, in my opinion, prejudiced. After all, they are young and are learning from first-time mistakes.
Unfortunately, this does not mean that women can abuse such rights repeatedly as it is a living soul mentioned here. (47% of all abortions performed on women, who have had at least one previous abortion) To perform an abortion means the mother has decided to strip the fetus of the right to develop into a human being. In a way, it seems like murder. Thus, introducing birth control methods is to prevent women from ending the life of the living fetus. If the notion of consuming contraceptive pills making one fat results in reluctance towards it, I feel that she ought to discuss with her partner and contemplate hard on the issue of unprotected sex and her willingness to having a child, with abortion not the solution. As stated, being pregnant is something any woman can control by ‘calculating the days where the possibility of pregnancy is high or low’, thus being pregnant is, no doubt, her responsibility. Therefore, I think that abortion itself is pushing away that responsibility, so they are ‘selfish and self-centred’.
On the other hand, there are cases where women fall victim to rape and sexual abuse. Apparently, these cases are unpredictable and beyond her control, so any contraceptives will not work.
In my opinion, one way to successfully minimize abortion cases is to put abortion proceedings under scrutiny so abortion opt by women due to personal reasons and done repeatedly are considered as a crime while abortion carried out due to reasons otherwise are made legal, and young women opting abortion for the first time be given counseling and warnings instead.
By Tan Wan Ting, 10S01
'According to the Singapore Abortion Act law there is no defined age limit for the abortion procedure, nor is there a legal requirement for parental consent for minors under the age of 21'. This is very serious as teenagers will not be afraid of getting pregnant and will get involve with sexual intercourse. They will have the mindset that they can easily abort the child and the use of contraception is not necessary. However, they might not know the consequences of abortion. It may lead to infertility, thus a moment of folly will bring them a life of regrets.
I think that schools should conduct sex education more frequently and also emphasise on the consequences of what abortion may lead to. This is because many teenagers are ignorant, they thought that abortion is very easy which is wrong. It not only harm the mother but also bring away the life of the unborn child. Thus abortion should be carefully considered.
Priscilla 10s23
Abortion is a topic which I personally think should not be an option in life except in certain situations like a victim being raped or a case of incest. To me, abortion is to decline a living thing, a human, from being able to have the rights to live.
It amazes me after reading this article that thousands of women in the world actually resort to abortion after many efforts to prevent them.
I agree with you that this matter is rather disturbing and alarming. Statistics have shown that the percentage of women in a country that have gone through abortion is increasing. Hence with the developing of a country, more women will be career driven and therefore resort to abortion as they want to concentrate more on their work than having a family.
However saying that the availability of the pills in pharmacies in Singapore will completely give no reason for women to choose abortion may not be a good accusation on them. These pills are ways to prevent abortion from happening, not a ddefinite option for them to choose. Hence, again, the choice lies with the individual herself.
However, I feel that women should have a sense of responsibilty. Abortion involved a living thing, hence in another way, is another form of murder. Women should think twice before having unprotected sex with their partner. Though it is hard to instill such thoughts into an individual, these women should at least think for the life that may be involved later. It is unfair to take away someone else's rights from living.
By: Nurul Atiqah of 10S01
I feel that this blog post about abrotion is very informative as it shows all kinds of information about abortion and even statistics. However, there is a lack in point of view by people on the issue of abortion. Other than that, the entire post is alright.
by matthew 10s25
In my opinions,I think that abortion should be considered a crime only when it is used because of personal problems.For example,the couple is unprepared for to have a baby.Otherwise,other medical reasons or if the mother is underage,I think that abortion should not be considered a crime.Although it is cruel to the community,it is acceptable as I feel that we should try to walk in the mother's shoes.Who would want to kill her own baby if she had a choice?Who would choose to give up an innocent life if she can bring afford to bring up her baby?Therefore,for the mother,it is already an emotional torture,we should not add on to her guilt.Hence,I think that abortion is not a crime!!!
To add on,I also felt that it was informative.It showed the various statistics to allow readers to have a clearer view on this topic.Not only this,it has discussed the topic from various points of views to show the process of how the decision of abortion is made.I was surprised that it even provides the cost of abortion.Overall,it was a well-done piece of information.
Abortion is a common practise in many society today. Abortion happens because of unwanted births among the people. With the increase in statistics of pre-marital sex among youths in societies today, its inevitable that there will be an increase in unwanted birth.
Under Chritianity laws, abortion could be counted as a mortal sin as it involves taking away the life of another living human. This goes to show how abortion is being taken seriously even in religious terms.
After looking at the statistics for the number of abortion in Singapore today, I felt shocked about the cruelty of mankind. Thousands of young unborn innocent life are being taken every day. The foetus is after all still a human being, the only difference is that its an undeveloped human.
Abortion could be closely related to murder, even animals today are protected under law, why not a single undeveloped human being. Therefore I believe that abortion should be taken as a crime.
Posted by: Clement Ong 10S25
I personally agree that abortion is a serious crime, if there's no valid excuse. Afterall, its a human life too. Its very pityful to take one's life; one that has yet to have had taken a breath of the world.
After reading this article, and having seen abortion videos, i've learnt that it all comes down to each and every individual's personal responsibilty. Why engage in unprotected sex, when you don't want an addition to your life? Incest, rape are exceptions to this case. Other than these reasons, none other can be accepted.
Do take note, all the above mentioned drugs and abotion methods only ease the procedure for the mother. NONE of them reduce the pain inflincted on the feotus. Its scientifically proven that the feotus can sense its surroundings within its first few weeks. Words truly can't portray the image i have seen from my sex-ed and biology lessons.
The issue of abortion is one hot debate topic that is here to stay. This because religious issues aside, the matter still plays on morals and, concurrently, rights of the people.
Free countries such as Singapore do not put harsh restrictions on abortions, as seen in the fact that there is no age requirement for it. As the life of the baby affects greatly the lives of its parents, the parents should have a big say, and the right of whether or not to abort the fetus.
However, albeit parents should have a say in the matter, the helpless, defenseless baby is still a life, and unless pregnancy brings about medical risks for the mother how is abortion not tantamount to murder? . How can the government, on that still utilize capital punishment for murder, turn the other cheek and condone abortion, the equivalence for the very cold blooded crime that they go so far to punish for?
If partners wanted to get sexually active and yet not get the female pregnant, they should make use of protection. Granted, that it is not fool-proof, but it is one risk they will have to live with. They should be ready to face up to the consequences.
The problem of abortion arises when a couple decide to engage in sex: unsafe sex. No contraceptives, for example condoms or spermicide what so ever. The problem is made worse when the situation involves premarital sex and especially even teen sex. But that is not all to the reasons that have caused a spike in the number of abortions. Abortion in the form of feticide, is also present in countries like India and China where a certain stigma is still attached to the birth of a girl in the family and a male is preferred. However, we should be glad that these countries are taking steps in the right direction to reduce the number of such cases. Taking India for example, hospitals in India now ban pre-birth sex determination to disallow couples from selectively discarding or keeping the fetus.
Yet the main problem with abortion is that it is a solution to really nothing and to aggravate matters, allowing or condoning it sends the wrong message. An innocent life is taken before it can experience the sunshine for the first time- but the guilty party involved is the couple. It is they who engaged in unsafe sex and now refuse to accept responsibility for their actions. The fetus did not cause it. And eventually the couple get away stainless. The message sent is: unsafe sex is alright just remove the evidence- kill an innocent life. Taking a life is perfectly acceptable because you are saving your honor and dignity. Well, should it not be; you decided to have unsafe sex, you take responsibility for it not murder someone and hide like a coward.
Lyndon Goh 10S13
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