Young doctor's account of abortion in the heartland

Aug 1, 2008
Young doctor's account of abortion in the heartland
I READ with interest Ms Tan Seow Hon's article, 'Time to relook abortion law' (July 24), Professor Arthur Lim's response on Monday ('Medical veteran backs relook of abortion law') and the recent proposals on government measures to increase the birth rate in Singapore.

I write from the perspective of a doctor who started the first half of her medical career in a polyclinic in the HDB heartland. As a young doctor, I was surprised to find at least three or more young women walking through my door every week seeking a subsidised referral to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy.

What was even more surprising was the cavalier attitude exhibited by many of these young women. Most already knew what they wanted. For 'first-timers', friends have perhaps told them the cheapest and easiest way to 'get rid of it'. Hence many displayed barely concealed impatience and irritation at the doctor's attempt to counsel them.

Those who had already gone through several abortions did not see why they even had to listen; after all, the polyclinic doctor was just the 'letter-writer'. Many did not see the reason for contraceptives. Those in their teens had no doubt gone through some rudimentary form of sex education in school. Yet, many told me they never thought they would become part of the unwed mother statistic.

And then we have married women seeking an abortion. Many of these women have the resources and maturity to bring up a child. During the economic slowdown post-Sars, financial constraint was given as the main reason for aborting an unwanted pregnancy. Yet many others gave flippant reasons such as an older child having PSLE, an impending overseas trip or a new job to justify terminating a pregnancy that could have been easily prevented.

Speaking to my older patients who have had unplanned pregnancies but chose not to abort (even if financial strain was the result) further accentuates the differences in attitude our generation has towards unborn children. The older generation tend to view pregnancies, even unplanned ones, as an unexpected blessing. Such respect for the sanctity of life seems sorely lacking in youngsters I have encountered. Many have been conditioned by their peers to view an unplanned pregnancy as somewhat of a nuisance, an impediment to their enjoyment in life.

What further saddens me is the fact that at the primary care level, resources were not deployed to counsel such would-have-been-mothers. The few of us who try to take the time to at least help them see the enormity of their decision and perhaps explore other viable alternatives risk the wrath of other waiting patients. The disincentive of our heavy patient loads has pressurised many colleagues to just refer them, even if they wanted to counsel them.

I venture that a sizeable number of Singaporean women and girls get pregnant each year. Sadly though, they are not the kind of would-be babies society desires or is prepared to help support. I also humbly suggest that a newfound respect for the sanctity of human life and foetuses should be nurtured in order to change the present cavalier attitude many young women face in the aftermath of a night of foolish passion. If we can reduce the abortion rate among women who are able but view unplanned pregnancies as nuisances and inconveniences to their hectic lives, we may begin to reverse the tide and edge towards replacing our population.

Dr Hoe Wan Sin