Unsafe Abortions Still a Massive Problem in Thailand
Over 200,000 Thai women undergo unsafe abortions every year in the Southeast Asian country, with many facing health complications after the fact–some even dying.
Current Thai law allows women to get a legal abortion in cases of rape, sex trafficking, and if the girl who is pregnant is under 15.
Many Thai women who want to end their pregnancies opt for underground abortions due to a lack of knowledge that there are professional doctors who will provide the procedure in Thailand, as well as the social stigma that is often attached to the procedure in Thailand’s conservative Buddhist culture.
A legal loophole introduced over a decade ago also allows for abortions if the pregnancy could cause significant harm to the mother either physically or mentally, which is broad enough to cover the vast majority of procedures to end an unwanted pregnancy.
Despite that though, many police in the country still believe that abortions are illegal under all circumstances and many doctors refuse to carry out the procedure on moral grounds.
According to Thailand’s National Health Security Office, 25-30 women die every year and another 30,000 face serious health problems due to unreliable abortions.
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