Bill promoters deny condoning abortion

Bill promoters deny condoning abortion

Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Authors of the health bill currently being deliberated upon by
the House of Representatives (DPR) denied on Thursday that they
were trying to legalize abortion.

They emphasized that the articles on abortion in the bill were
designed to equip the government with powers to take stern
measures against illegal abortions which could endanger the lives
of mothers.

Eddy Hasmi, director of teenagers and protection of
reproductive health rights at the National Family Planning Board
(BKKBN) said that Article 60 of the draft gives the government
more authority to curb abortions conducted without counseling and
professional help.

"Illegal abortions are rampant in the country; many women
undergo abortions at illegal places without valid reasons,
procedures, or guidelines. How can we bring providers and actors
of such abortions to court if there is no explicit law?" he told
The Jakarta Post.

A group of religious leaders from five large religions in
Indonesia condemned on Wednesday abortion and all attempts to
legalize the practice through the health bill, saying it was
against the teaching of all religions and against human values.

The number of abortions is estimated to reach 2.5 million
annually in the country, of which some 1.5 million are conducted
on young girls who become pregnant out of wedlock.

Most illegal abortions are conducted by traditional healers or
unprofessional medical workers at illegal clinics.

Sharing Eddy's view, Kartono Mohammad, a general practitioner
who is also involved in drafting the bill, said that the bill did
not legalize abortion but prevented the liberalization of
abortion.

"The bill does not mention legalized abortion. It only
requires the government to protect the women from unqualified,
unsafe, and irresponsible abortions through explicit rulings," he
said, quoting the first verse of article 60 of the health bill.

The second verse of the article defined such abortion as an
act of abortion which was conducted by force and without the
consent of the mother, or performed by unprofessional medical
workers, without following existing standards of professionalism
and for the sake of money.

Kartono said that the article on abortion in the health bill
was to amend Article 15 of Health Law No. 23/1992 which allowed
professional health workers to perform abortions if the life of
the mother would be at stake.

But in its explanatory section, the law forbids abortions
under any circumstances as it is against norms of law, religions,
morality and good manners.

"That's why, for ten years, the government never succeeded in
putting the article into an applicable government regulation
because the article does not match the explanation," Kartono
said.

Eddy and Kartono said that the government would provide
details on specific conditions of abortion as soon as the bill
was passed into law.

Eddy said that the government regulation would give guidelines
over why, when, who, how and where any abortion may take place.

He said that abortion would be the last option in case the
mother's mental and physical health was in danger if she had to
carry the baby for full period of pregnancy.

An abortion may also be conducted if tests confirm that the
fetus is detected as carrying congenital or inherited diseases
such as Down's Syndrome, thalassemia major or defects in the
body.

Kartono said that abortion was also allowed if the mother was
a victim of rape or incest. "Which one is more righteous, let the
woman suffer and reject the child for the whole of her life or
help her to end her pregnancy to prevent further misery?" he
asked.

Eddy said that abortion could occur in such circumstances but
the mother should get counseling before deciding to end her
unwanted pregnancy.

"The woman and/or her family will be given some suggestions
and options before choosing abortion, as the last option. The
counseling should be supervised by psychologists," he said.

Eddy said that currently, illegal abortion had become an
option for pregnant women who faced economic hardship or pregnant
girls who were not ready to become mothers.

"In such cases, the counselor will offer them some
alternatives such as adoption or a foster parents program," he
said.