Information on sex and abortion needed
Information on sex and abortion needed
Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A noted abortion expert said on Wednesday the high number of
maternal deaths from unsafe abortions was partly the fault of the
media, which has failed to educate the public about the issue.
The national media, according to Kartono Muhammad, often
portrays premarital sex and abortion as moral issues, and
sensationalizes these issues to sell papers and attract viewers.
"Most media outrageously portray women who have abortions as
criminals. The media certainly plays a major role in the people's
ignorance about abortion," said Kartono.
Abortions are illegal in Indonesia, except in cases where the
mother's life is at risk if she carries the fetus to full term.
He said he had seen many abortions where the fetus had reached
full term. "In those cases, abortion in fact becomes infanticide
and is very dangerous to the mother."
Research by Dr. Biran Affandi in 2000 and Dr. Budi Utomo in
2001 showed that between 1.5 million and two million abortions
are performed across the country each year.
According to data from the Women's Health Foundation (YKP),
unsafe abortions account for about 11.1 percent of total maternal
deaths.
The Ministry of Health said earlier that maternal deaths
resulting from abortions accounted for about 50 percent of all
maternal deaths.
The maternal mortality rate in Indonesia is 370 per 1,000
births, the highest among the member states of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations. ASEAN comprises Malaysia, Singapore,
Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia,
Brunei and Indonesia.
Unsafe abortion refers to abortions performed with inadequate
equipment by traditional midwives. Such procedures often occur in
villages.
Kartono, however, disputed the figures, saying many more women
died because of unsafe abortions than reported. He said many of
these deaths went unreported by those involved.
A recent study by the YKP found that the majority of women
seeking abortions were married, over the age of 30 and already
had children.
Kartono suggested that more information on sex and abortion
should be given to the public by the media, to help reduce the
number of deaths as a result of unsafe abortions.
"The media should be aware that abortion is no longer a moral
issue, but is rather about facing the truth and safety," he said.
He also said the public was still in denial about the fact
that society had become more permissive.
"Most Indonesians are against abortion, as long as it does not
happen to them or their families," Kartono said.