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).