Prevention is key in reducing abortions

Prevention is key in reducing abortions

By Mely G. Tan

JAKARTA (JP): "Every child is a wanted child". This is the
ideal. This is the norm. This is how it should be. This is also
in line with the Convention of the Rights of the Child,
proclaimed by the United Nations and signed and ratified by
practically all the member countries of this world organization,
including Indonesia, only a few years ago.

However, what is the reality? From its inception, when a sperm
from a man and an ovum from a woman, meet, come to fruition and
start the conception process, the product of this meeting is at
high risk to be destroyed. Natural processes, for example, can
interfere with the nesting of the egg -- that is, the attachment
to the wall of the womb. There are other causes for
"misconception", but suffice it to note that not all meetings of
an ovum and a sperm result in conception.

There are other ways to achieve "misconception", and this is
by using contraception methods. This is the essence of family
planning (to "plan" your family by planning the number of
children you will have). Contraception aims to prevent the
meeting of a sperm and an ovum. In other words, if you practice
family planning, and if there is a pregnancy, it has been planned
and is not the result of an "accident".

Due to strong and consistent efforts of family planning
programs in Indonesia, the many contraceptive methods available
are sufficiently known.

Nonetheless, the reality is that despite the knowledge
disseminated, and the services available, there is still a high
number of pregnancies that are "unwanted", resulting in the
horrifying findings of aborted fetuses recently reported in the
media.

What has happened? Undoubtedly, these "unwanted" pregnancies,
are the result of "accidents" from sexual behavior based on a
range from ignorance to irresponsibility to criminal actions.

Why ignorance? Ignorance is a factor when a pregnancy occurs
among teenagers and other young adults who are ignorant about the
reproductive organs in their body combined with not being
prepared to handle the freedom in their relations with the
opposite sex.

This has been shown in a study done by a psychologist, in two
clinics in Jakarta (since discontinued) and in Bali in 1987
involving 405 cases of unmarried young women during a one-year
period.

In most cases they had missed their menstruation for at the
most two months. They were then treated with menstrual regulation
or MR (basically a simple suction method), after consultation
with the psychologist.

About half of these cases were girls between 15 to 20 years
old. Almost half of them were still in school or had finished
high school. One-third were active university students, while 12
percent finished primary school and 15 of the girls had a B.A.
degree.

Clearly these were not uneducated girls. Yet they were
appallingly ignorant about sexuality and the possible results of
sexual behavior. When it turned out that they were pregnant, they
became panicked. They were definitely not prepared for pregnancy
and for taking care of a child.

What about the result of irresponsible sexual behavior? This
is the type of behavior where both the man and the woman are
knowledgeable about the consequences of sexual activity -- they
know how to take precautions, but simply do not care, or just
take their chances.

Then there are those who have become the victim of
irresponsible behavior. Men take advantage of the ignorance and
naivety of young, innocent girls. When the girl gets pregnant the
man is nowhere to be found, or, if found will not feel
responsible.

In the category of irresponsible behavior, but on the part of
the men as well as the women, is pregnancy due to prostitution.
The women know they can become pregnant, but do not take
precautions. They may ask the men to use a condom, but some
refuse.

Finally, there are those who become the victim of criminal
behavior: of rape. Today there is a growing recognition of rape
in marital situations. Incest has also become a problem.

Perhaps in a separate category, there is the pregnancy due to
contraceptive failures. It is a well-known fact that most
contraceptive methods still have the possibility of failure,
resulting in a pregnancy. In this case, a woman can take the
necessary precaution, yet she can still become pregnant. What
should she do?

It is rather facile and callous, especially for men, to
declare that abortions should never be carried out. First, they
themselves would never get into a situation of becoming pregnant.
Second, women who are found to have terminated their pregnancy,
are accused of committing a despicable act, indicating that the
blame is for the woman only. The involvement of the man is
completely forgotten, and he is free to continue impregnating
other women.

This double standard in judging behavior of men and women,
especially where morals are concerned, is as old as the history
of humankind. We can react by considering this a fact of life,
that cannot be changed. Or, we can insist that human beings,
unlike other creatures on this earth, possess the God-given power
of reason, an analytical mind and the power to defer present
pleasure for future gain.

In other words, human beings possess the power to regulate and
restrain their instincts and their physical drives -- including
the sex drive. Unfortunately, these powers are not always
developed, or with young people, maybe not yet fully perceived.

Therefore, logically, what needs to be done is to develop
these powers. Girls and young women should understand that they
can say "no". A greater sense of responsibility among all men
must also be developed.

These seem to be farfetched ideas. But actually there are not
many other alternatives to avoid unwanted pregnancies and the
horrible consequences that may result. Of course, one can say
that abortion should not occur under any circumstances and the
pregnancy should always come to term. But the realty is that this
is not always the correct solution, for the woman, as well as for
the "unwanted" child.

We have to look for ways to avoid unwanted pregnancies to
occur. First, we must do away with ignorance. Young people, both
girls and boys, as early as they can understand and absorb it,
should learn about their bodies, including its reproductive
functions.

They should have an understanding of sexuality and the
consequences of sexual behavior. In this day and age, when people
of the opposite sex can interact easily, without anyone else
present, this knowledge is imperative.

Where should they get this knowledge? Ideally of course, at
home from their parents or other significant adults. There are
cynics who say they are getting this knowledge already from the
street, from their peers and from films. If they are already so
knowledgeable, why then do "accidents" still occur? Obviously,
what they need is knowledge that empowers them. Girls and young
women should realize that they can say "no", and make boys feel
responsible for the girls they go out with.

In other cases, again more information should be given to
women and men about preventative measures. In the case of rape
and incest, the perpetrators should be given a punishment
commensurate with the crime committed. This has yet to be the
case in Indonesia's legal system. Victims should also be given
more understanding and services to overcome their experience.

Finally, what about when an "accident" still occurs? The fact
that abortions occur, despite strong condemnations by religious
authorities and the society at large, indicates that this is a
very complicated problem.

Closing the known clinics is no guarantee that abortions will
stop. In fact, what we can be sure of is that they will go
completely "underground", increasing the probability of cases of
botched abortions -- thereby contributing to the continuing
appallingly high maternal mortality rate in Indonesia.

Ways should be found to provide services that are medically
safe, within the legal limits and tolerance limits of religious
authorities, while taking into consideration the overall
condition of the woman involved. This is not easy, but the
options are limited.

Undoubtedly, the key is prevention, thereby ensuring that
"every child is a wanted child".

Mely G. Tan, Ph.D. is the chairperson of the Research
Institute, Atma Jaya Catholic University.