Gynaecologists and counsellors advise that pre-abortion counselling contributes little to the drop in abortion rates. But neither does the increased use of contraception as widely believed. (Abortions last year lowest in 30 years, May 5). Gynaecologists readily admit that contraceptions fail all the time “with various failure rates”, including the most extreme.
It is difficult to deny that the majority of Singaporeans support the view that it is seriously immoral when non-medically threatening lifestyles takes precedence over the life of the baby. The intention of almost all Singaporeans is to reduce abortions.
Did the Ministry of Health (MOH) consider the prevalent insights and views of professionals and our society before they underwent the rigmarole of tweaking the least crucial aspect of the Termination of Pregnancy Act which “benefits” only foreigners and the smallest minority of local women? MOH ought to release more information on the statistics and views of the public’s feedback so that MOH, together with Parliament, can craft a better policy that broadly benefits our society. Importantly, Parliament must realise that a social injustice is not addressed by giving minorities the equal opportunity to access a law that circumvents a baby’s life.
Numerous studies from around the world have found high correlations, if not causality, between increased access to contraception and increased abortions.
In a 2002 study by K. Edgardo in Sexually Transmitted Infections, Swedish teen abortion rates rose despite free contraceptive counselling, low cost condoms and oral contraceptives. This is confirmed by a 2011 study by J Duenas et al. in Contraception, where a 63% increase in the use of contraception preceded a 108% increase in elective abortion in Spain. Gynaecologists readily admit that contraceptions fail all the time, including the most extreme form of contraception, sterilisation.
Singapore’s Health Minister, Chua Sian Chin, in his Nov 6, 1974 speech, said “The social experiment on legalised abortions has been highly successful…women must be confident that if these [contraceptive practices] fail, as they do sometimes, they can fall back on readily available abortion.”
Rosalind Petchesky, like most ardent abortion-supporting feminists, admitted that “Until a ‘perfect’ method of contraception is developed, which will probably never happen, periods of heightened consciousness and extended practice of birth control will inevitably mean a rise in abortions.”
Our society can belittle the views of the pro-life community but they should at least pay heed to the views of the pro-abortion views, that once a contraceptive mentality is adopted, abortion is simply the most convenient solution to contraception failures.
Edmund Leong
*Selected Numerous Studies
“Adolescent Sexual Health in Sweden”, 78 (2002): 352-6, Sexually Transmitted Infections, K Edgardo
“Trends in the Use of Contraceptive Methods and Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy in the Spanish Population during 1997-2007”, 83 (2011) Contraception, J Duenas et al.
“The Economics of Family Planning and Underage Conceptions”, 21.2 (March 2002) Journal of Health Economics, D. Paton
”Health Outcomes of Youth Development Programme in England: Prospective Matched Comparison Study”, 339.72 (2009), British Medical Journal, M Wiggins et al.