Doctors demand ruling on legal abortion to curb illegal practice

JAKARTA (JP): Lack of a government regulation in performing abortions has led to the uncontrolled illegal practice in Indonesia, obstetricians stated Saturday in a symposium on abortion.

"It has been eight years since (the issuance of) Health Law No. 23/1992 and the government hasn't issued a regulation yet," obstetrician and gynecology expert Sudarji Sumapraja from the University of Indonesia said.

Article 15 of the law stipulates that a "certain medical act" can be performed under emergency circumstances in an effort to save the life of a pregnant woman and/or her fetus.

The content of the article contradicts itself, Sudarji said.

"A termination of pregnancy is never understood as an effort to save the fetus," he said.

For years confusion has stemmed from the explanation of the above article 15. While a "medical act" is allowed in emergencies, "medical action in the form of abortion, for any reason, is prohibited, as it violates legal, religious and decency norms."

Nevertheless many illegal abortion clinics are in operation, Sudarji said.

Several cases of illegal abortions have shaken the capital in recent years. The numbers are unrecorded and unknown.

However studies by the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate an annual 2.3 million abortions in Indonesia. This is over 50 percent of WHO's estimate of 4.2 million cases in Southeast Asia.

One of the most widely publicized cases, involving two clinics in North Jakarta, occurred in March. One of the midwives at one clinic admitted that the clinic moved from one place to another to avoid suspicion.

Doctors attending the symposium also demanded an appointed institution to perform legal abortions soon after the regulation was made.

Sudarji said that one circumstance in which an abortion should be performed lawfully is, "when the continuance of the pregnancy involves greater risk to the life of the woman or a greater risk of injury to her physical or mental health, than if the pregnancy were terminated."

He also said that abortion should be performed prior to viability, which is the ability for the developing fetus to live on its own if it were delivered by caesarean section or by normal delivery.

Viability typically occurs sometime after the 21st week after conception, Sudarji said.

Sudarji said that an abortion should require the opinion of two doctors and must be performed in a prescribed hospital.

He said to avoid abortion delays because of undetected pregnancy, women should use pregnancy test pads which are easy to use. (08)