Article on Abortion

Pub Date: 13/08/2006   Pub: ST              Page: 4
Day: Sunday

Headline: Abortion after abortion after abortion ...
By: Nur Dianah Suhaimi
Page Heading: news
Subject: Abortion, Singapore Youth
Notes:
Photo illustration
  

How teens deal with unwanted babies

Some teens are choosing abortion repeatedly to deal with unwanted pregnancies
and continuing with unprotected sex afterwards, instead of using contraceptives

SHE is 18 years old and a student, but she has already become pregnant three
times, because possible side effects have put her off taking birth control
pills.
 The first two times, she aborted the foetus. The third time, her
gynaecologist refused to perform an abortion, saying her womb could not take
another procedure.
 Like her, many young women here are falling into the abortion trap - and not
just once. They get pregnant, go for an abortion and then continue having sex
without protection.
 Doctors and counsellors say many of these girls believe they will not be
unlucky enough to get pregnant again. Yet, some find themselves on the
gynaecologist's table again and again.
 The Ministry of Health does not have figures for teens who have had multiple
abortions. The total number of teenage abortions has been declining steadily
over the years, reaching a seven-year low of 1,341 in 2004. However, some teens
appear to be contributing more to abortion figures than others.
 The Sunday Times spoke to 20 youngsters who got pregnant as teens, with 12
saying that they have since had multiple abortions. More disturbingly, they do
not see it as a big deal, though all declined to give their full names.
 'I fall asleep in the doctor's clinic and when I wake up, the baby is gone,'
said Jamie, a 21-year-old waitress who underwent her first abortion when she
was 17 and has had two more since.
 'I don't see or feel any baby. Maybe that's why I don't feel guilty when I
abort.'
 Administrative assistant Anne, 23, was 19 when she went for her first
abortion. Last year, she went for another. Both times, she got pregnant because
she never bothered with contraceptives.
 'Using a condom will lessen sexual satisfaction. So I thought I'd take the
risk,' she said.
 Lenny, 17, a secondary school student, went for an abortion earlier this
year after having unprotected sex with her boyfriend on staircase landings and
in deserted carparks. Despite having to pay $400 for the procedure with her
savings and some cash borrowed from friends, she has gone back to having
unprotected sex.
 'If I keep condoms in my bag, my parents might find them. I rather not leave
any traces of my sex life,' she said.
 This kind of attitude is common, according to a gynaecologist who runs a
clinic in Chinatown.
 'They think they will never get pregnant. They're like chronic gamblers who
don't believe they will lose. But they keep on losing.'
 Gynaecologist Jen Shek Wei agrees, adding: 'The risk of getting pregnant is
always there. It is like Russian roulette. Occasionally, you'll get caught. And
some women get caught more than others.'
 Most gynaecologists said it is a known fact that many women visit different
doctors for subsequent abortions to spare themselves the embarrassment.
 'They might be hiding previous terminations from the doctor and there's no
way we can tell. Most times, we don't dwell too much on their history because
they may feel like they are being criticised,' said Dr Loke Kah Leong, who runs
a women's clinic in Tampines.
 One counsellor at aLife, a volunteer group that helps women in pregnancy
crisis, added: 'We see those with multiple abortions only once in a while.
Sometimes, they don't want to come back to us when they're pregnant again
because they're scared we will scold them.'
 The dangers most commonly related to abortion include the risk of cervical
infection and bleeding.
 Having an abortion may also lessen the chances of conceiving in future.
 However, this latter fact, often used to scare girls into being more
careful, can actually worsen the problem.
 Teens whom The Sunday Times spoke to said they tended to use contraceptives
less often after an abortion because they believed it would be harder to get
pregnant.
  'It is a gross exaggeration to say abortions rule out the possibility of
future pregnancies,' said gynaecologist Lee Kim Kwong.
 Subsequent infertility is actually not a big problem in Singapore, because
procedures are carried out properly by certified gynaecologists.
 But while the physical damage may be minor, the emotional trauma can be
harder to prevent. Also, not all teenagers are blase about flushing out their
foetues.
 Ms Rose Boon from Family Life Society has counselled a woman who still
suffers from severe post-abortion depression 10 years after she underwent one.
 One 22-year-old deals with her teenage abortion four years ago by
celebrating the child's birthday each year with a candle-lit cake and clothes
as a birthday present.
 The birthday, which falls on the day of the abortion, is celebrated with her
boyfriend, the baby's father.

ndianah@sph.com.sg


I fall asleep in the doctor's clinic and when I wake up, the baby is gone. I
don't see or feel any baby. Maybe that's why I don't feel guilty when I abort.'
 - JAMIE, 21, a waitress


They think they will never get pregnant. They're like chronic gamblers who
don't believe they will lose. But they keep on losing.'
 - A GYNAECOLOGIST in private practice