Many students have abortions

Many students have abortions

MATARAM (JP): About 240 students have come to the Family
Planning Clinic (BLKB) in Mataram, the capital of West Nusa
Tenggara, for abortions since January.

Mataram's BLKB Director, L. Sudirman told the press here on
Tuesday that the students came to the clinic after undergoing
botched abortions at the hands of shamans.

"When they came here (the BLKB) they suffered from bleeding.
And they had to undergo abortions to save their lives," he said,
adding that during the January to July period about 300 students
(high school and university) had visited the clinic, but only
about 240 of them had abortions.

Sudirman told Antara that the students were embarrassed to
have abortions at the clinic. They did not want their parents or
friends to know that they were pregnant because of pre-marital
sex.

"So, instead, they asked the shamans' to perform abortions on
them, which was cheaper and could be kept a secret," he said,
adding that the cost of having an abortion with a shaman was only
Rp 1 million (US$117.7).