‘Deadly Choice’

Pro-life lobbyist Peter Smith who was in Sri Lanka last week hits out at abortionists and UN family planning associations

By Kumudini Hettiarachchi

Is it a choice like deciding whether one will have a vanilla or a chocolate ice cream?

Shaking his head vigorously and answering his own question, Peter Smith, a pro-life lobbyist, armed with reams of paper and rubber models of a woman’s womb with foetus and all, hollers out a resounding “No”. It is a “deadly choice”, he propounds, explaining that if a person doesn’t have the right to life from conception to natural death, every other right comes to naught.

About 650-750 abortions are carried out daily in Sri Lanka , a study commissioned by UNFPA in 1999 indicates, mostly among women over 35 years of age.

“The right to food, the right to housing, you name it, it’s all nonsense if a baby doesn’t have the right to life as soon as conception takes place. If abortion is not a crime, might as well wait until the baby is born and then kill him or her. Why abort in the womb, do it after birth and try to justify that,” he challenges, adding that his pro-life lobby is supported by most countries in the world, with only a handful such as the European Union nations, Canada and New Zealand being opposed.

What is the first measure of life, asks flamboyant Peter who heads the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, an NGO accredited to the United Nations and can lobby there. Peter was in Sri Lanka last week to foster the organization ‘Cultura Vitae’ headed by Dr. Eshan Dias that has been set up in “defence of marriage, family and the worth of every human being”.

Peter Smith holds up a rubber model of a woman’s womb with foetus.

 

Dubbing the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation – the parent body of the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka – the Ugly Sisters, like in the famous fairytale, ‘Cinderella’, he says their aim is to reduce the population in the developing world. The First World’s dominance, especially America’s, is threatened by population growth in the Third World. Adds Dr. Dias: “The IPPF is the largest abortion industry in the world.”

Countering the argument put forward by many that the biggest block to poor countries developing is over-population, Peter quotes the Food and Agriculture Organization as indicating that if First World farming technology is utilized to cultivate the currently available arable land in the world, food could be produced for 60 billion people, 10 times the current population of the world. “The block to poor countries developing is the European Union’s agriculture policy and the US policies which heavily subsidize their farmers, making it difficult for farmers in poor countries to compete with them.”

The twin evils of why some countries are poor, Peter points out are corruption and war. “People are not the problem. Massive population growth is not a hindrance to economic growth,” he stresses citing reports. “Don’t blame the women for having children and making a country poor.”

Dealing with the crucial issue of when life actually begins, whether it starts the moment a sperm fuses with the egg or a while later, he explains that within three weeks of conception there is a heart beat.

According to a leaflet of Cultura Vitae abortion is the direct and deliberate killing of a human being during the period between conception (fertilization) and birth.

Conceding that the exceptions to saying no to abortion would be an ectopic pregnancy (where the fusion of the sperm and the egg occurs in the fallopian tube but the embryo is unable to come into the womb due to a tubal block) and malignant cancer in the womb or cervix which would need the removal of the womb, both indirect forms of abortion, Peter stresses that direct abortion will never help a woman.

According to Dr. Dias in the case of an ectopic pregnancy or cancer, the mother’s life is in danger and the treatment of the illness will indirectly cause the death of the baby. Therefore, it cannot be considered an abortion, because an abortion is the direct and deliberate killing of the baby which is never justifiable.

When questioned persistently by The Sunday Times about the plight of a child of 10 or 12 who is pregnant after being raped or due to an incestuous relationship not of her seeking; a woman who is raped or a woman who finds out that the foetus has severe deformities, Peter is adamant that these were no excuses for an abortion. “There should be support services for these women,” he says.

“Yes, these are crisis pregnancies and it becomes an issue between two humans, the mother and the baby. It is a decision actually between a life and a lifestyle,” said Dr. Dias.

A Cultura Vitae protest on June 24 opposite a clinic in Ja-ela.

“Rape and incest are emotive issues raised by many women’s rights organizations to make abortion legal,” stressed Dr. Dias adding that it is the first step down a slippery slope ending in making abortion easily accessible. “Abortion promoters know it. That’s how they have done it in other countries.

The psychological harm to any mother who undergoes an abortion is immense, he says, quoting data from America. Compared to women who give birth, those who undergo an abortion are five times more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol subsequently; are at 65% higher risk of clinical depression and are 60% more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric care. Post-abortion women are at elevated risk of death from all causes, including suicide.

Pointing out the physical harm, Dr. Dias says even in countries where abortion is legal and said to be safe, women who abort are four times more likely to die in the following year than women who give birth.

‘Let the women decide’

Abortion is illegal in Sri Lanka unless it is performed to save the life of the mother. The question of whether abortions should be liberalized or legalized or should be allowed to remain illegal is an issue which must be viewed within the context of current realities of increased incest and rape, as well as the increasing number of women seeking abortion services provided in the guise of “menstrual regulation”. There are probably some women who also obtain such services through private clinics and medical institutions, stressed well-known women’s and child rights activist, Dr. Hiranthi Wijemanne.

“Poor protection in homes particularly those in which there is family strife and poverty including migrant mothers, are contributing to an increasing number of girl children getting pregnant. The perpetrators are not strangers but fathers, stepfathers, and even grandfathers. The future of such children is destroyed by such pregnancies because of the stigmatization, interruption to schooling and other factors. It is also well known that the risk of maternal mortality is much higher under the age of 18 years,” she says, asking:

Should such victims of child abuse be given the facility of a safe, therapeutic abortion so that they do not risk death at the hands of a ‘backroom abortionist’? Should they be told they must go through with the pregnancy because abortion is illegal? Can they be protected from stigmatization and interrupted schooling because they become ‘child mothers’ and a crime was perpetrated against them?

These questions need to be answered, she said.
Another vulnerable group of women are rape victims some of whom get pregnant, Dr. Wijemanne who has many long years of working with the most underprivileged women and children, told The Sunday Times. “Should they have or not have a right to determine the continuation of their pregnant condition which was a result of a violent act? We know children born to such mothers run a serious risk of rejection and stigmatization. Children should be born to be wanted and loved. They need care and attention. They need health, nutrition and schooling.”

Abortion today is similar to family planning several decades ago. The well-to-do have access to therapeutic and safe abortion services. However, in the event of an unwanted pregnancy it is the poor who have to resort to unsafe abortions, risk sepsis and even death. The illegality of an abortion makes it very difficult to obtain proper data and information. Whether made illegal or not, there are large numbers of abortions taking place in Colombo and other parts of the country. The majority of such abortions are done in the name of “menstrual regulation” and are conducted on married women at their request. It is obviously a choice made by women, and even by a couple for personal reasons, she said.

Why it is happening and the decisions on whether it should or should not be done needs a deeper look. Could it be lack of access to family planning services? Are there no family planning counselling services available?

Is there a growing economic problem facing young families? The issue of abortion directly relates to the reproductive health of girls and women, Dr. Wijemanne said.

Why are women seeking services even when they know abortion is illegal? Abortion cannot be taken lightly and even if done on a therapeutic basis on medical considerations, post abortion counselling is important, she said.

According to Dr. Wijemanne even if women and girls do not have a choice, there is one of two things which can occur: People can get the abortion done anyway, safe or unsafe; otherwise, they have to go ahead with the pregnancy. As currently prevails where the State and interested parties determine that they must go through with such a pregnancy, there should also be a commitment by such authorities to provide the necessary resources and services to bring up such children who may suffer deprivation. This is particularly so in the case of incest and rape victims.

All the necessary inputs to enable a child’s healthy growth and development should be provided, plus the essential ingredients of love and affection without which children cannot fulfil their full potential.

Today we live in a society in which mothers are leaving young children in search of employment due to economic difficulties.

More women are working with no home help or an extended family to help in childcare. If a mother decides to leave her husband because of domestic violence she often has no alternative means of livelihood. Maintenance for her children may not be forthcoming because the estranged husband does not pay her even if the court has decided that he should do so. These are the realities for women in Sri Lanka today, she explained.

“Let the final decision to sustain and maintain the current illegality of abortion or liberalize or legalize abortion be based on such realities. Women who bear the brunt of carrying a child through nine months of a pregnancy, women who have to go through child birth and its inherent risks to life and health, women who have to work in the home and supplement the family income, and women who have to suffer the violations and trauma of gender based violence should be consulted in making such choices. Indeed, many of them are doing so whether the law provides for it or not!” Dr. Wijemanne added.

 

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