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
