Doctors demand ruling on legal abortion to curb illegal practice<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Lack of a government regulation in performing
\nabortions has led to the uncontrolled illegal practice in
\nIndonesia, obstetricians stated Saturday in a symposium on
\nabortion.<\/p>\n
\"It has been eight years since (the issuance of) Health Law
\nNo. 23\/1992 and the government hasn't issued a regulation yet,\"
\nobstetrician and gynecology expert Sudarji Sumapraja from the
\nUniversity of Indonesia said.<\/p>\n
Article 15 of the law stipulates that a \"certain medical act\"
\ncan be performed under emergency circumstances in an effort to
\nsave the life of a pregnant woman and\/or her fetus.<\/p>\n
The content of the article contradicts itself, Sudarji said.<\/p>\n
\"A termination of pregnancy is never understood as an effort
\nto save the fetus,\" he said.<\/p>\n
For years confusion has stemmed from the explanation of the
\nabove article 15. While a \"medical act\" is allowed in
\nemergencies, \"medical action in the form of abortion, for any
\nreason, is prohibited, as it violates legal, religious and
\ndecency norms.\"<\/p>\n
Nevertheless many illegal abortion clinics are in operation,
\nSudarji said.<\/p>\n
Several cases of illegal abortions have shaken the capital in
\nrecent years. The numbers are unrecorded and unknown.<\/p>\n
However studies by the World Health Organization (WHO)
\nestimate an annual 2.3 million abortions in Indonesia. This is
\nover 50 percent of WHO's estimate of 4.2 million cases in
\nSoutheast Asia.<\/p>\n
One of the most widely publicized cases, involving two clinics
\nin North Jakarta, occurred in March. One of the midwives at one
\nclinic admitted that the clinic moved from one place to another
\nto avoid suspicion.<\/p>\n
Doctors attending the symposium also demanded an appointed
\ninstitution to perform legal abortions soon after the regulation
\nwas made.<\/p>\n
Sudarji said that one circumstance in which an abortion should
\nbe performed lawfully is, \"when the continuance of the pregnancy
\ninvolves greater risk to the life of the woman or a greater risk
\nof injury to her physical or mental health, than if the pregnancy
\nwere terminated.\"<\/p>\n
He also said that abortion should be performed prior to
\nviability, which is the ability for the developing fetus to live
\non its own if it were delivered by caesarean section or by normal
\ndelivery.<\/p>\n
Viability typically occurs sometime after the 21st week after
\nconception, Sudarji said.<\/p>\n
Sudarji said that an abortion should require the opinion of
\ntwo doctors and must be performed in a prescribed hospital.<\/p>\n
He said to avoid abortion delays because of undetected
\npregnancy, women should use pregnancy test pads which are easy to
\nuse. (08)<\/p>",
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