During our Tweetathon on Sept 28, TARSHI a Delhi-based non-profit that works on issues in sexuality, said:

“Legality is no guarantee for access. Often providers put women off by scaring them of consequences.”

This is unfortunately true in South Asia, and South East Asia, where several doctors are under the false impression that all abortions — not just the unsafe ones — lead to infertility.

More importantly, not all doctors are comfortable performing abortions. Though the medical code of ethics across Asia holds qualified doctors responsible for providing safe abortion care, under legally acceptable circumstances, the doctor’s personal views and religious obligations might stand in the way. In very religious societies, hospitals are fertile grounds for abortion stigma as well.

Here is a testimonial from one of ASAP’s trips to Pakistan.

 “I commit abortion as a murder. Abortion is just like killing an adult human being. It is not in Sharia (Islamic rules) and is illegal in Pakistan. If a woman comes for abortion in our hospital we kick her out of the hospital. If a woman kills her baby intentionally, then it will be her sin not ours and then we can think to handle the situation to save mother’s life. We do not have any right over our bodies neither on our future child. Abortion has only negative effects. If there is no medical disorder and the family is economically stable then it is not a solid reason for abortion.”

Conservatism also finds its way into hospitals. It’s not uncommon for a doctor to advise a female patient to take traditional ways more seriously.

“I am working from 25 years but during this time period I have not given even a pill to women for abortion. I am personally against abortion. If someone is married then they should follow proper procedures to prevent themselves from abortion. They must do family planning and use contraceptives instead of abortion. Woman must do nothing without her husband’s permission.”

This issue deeply threatens access to safe abortions. But as Dr. Suchitra Dalvie’s blog earlier this week pointed out, doctors find themselves in this position because during training, they are not given a space within which they can hold nuanced discussions on ethics and values.

The situation can be amended — over time —  if  doctors are provided with this such a space: maybe at workshops, or at CMEs. Still some practitioners are bound to find themselves unable to make peace with the idea of abortion. But even if only a few of them change their views, a few hundred women will find a means to a healthier life.