THE decision to terminate a pregnancy is not, and should never be, a trivial one.
It is usually a hard decision to make.
Any woman seeking to terminate her pregnancy should be provided with accurate information from a holistic point of view, to allow her to make an informed decision.
Hence, the Ministry of Health is doing the right thing by making pre-abortion counselling compulsory for all women looking to terminate a pregnancy ("Pre-abortion counselling for all"; last Tuesday).
I hope that the ministry will provide information on the physical, financial and emotional strain involved in raising a child, instead of simply focusing on childbirth and carrying the foetus to term.
However, I worry that religious and/or ethical beliefs may be injected into the counselling materials provided, or the counsellors themselves may do so.
Women seeking an abortion are often emotionally distraught.
I fear that religious and/or ethical beliefs may cause counsellors to fail to support their patients in their decision.
The patient may be influenced
to choose an option that is in line with the counsellor's beliefs, but which may not be in her best interest.
The decision to terminate a pregnancy is a serious and personal matter.
It is not about raising the "moral standards of Singapore" or "forcing our women to conform to the demands of our society", as Mr Loy Hwa Wei mentioned ("Extension of pre-abortion counselling empowers women"; Forum Online, last Friday).
It is only about a woman and her emotional and difficult decision to decide whether she should carry
the foetus to term or choose an abortion.
I hope that the move by the ministry will allow women to make their own informed decisions.
Han Ming Guang
It is usually a hard decision to make.
Any woman seeking to terminate her pregnancy should be provided with accurate information from a holistic point of view, to allow her to make an informed decision.
Hence, the Ministry of Health is doing the right thing by making pre-abortion counselling compulsory for all women looking to terminate a pregnancy ("Pre-abortion counselling for all"; last Tuesday).
I hope that the ministry will provide information on the physical, financial and emotional strain involved in raising a child, instead of simply focusing on childbirth and carrying the foetus to term.
However, I worry that religious and/or ethical beliefs may be injected into the counselling materials provided, or the counsellors themselves may do so.
Women seeking an abortion are often emotionally distraught.
I fear that religious and/or ethical beliefs may cause counsellors to fail to support their patients in their decision.
The patient may be influenced
to choose an option that is in line with the counsellor's beliefs, but which may not be in her best interest.
The decision to terminate a pregnancy is a serious and personal matter.
It is not about raising the "moral standards of Singapore" or "forcing our women to conform to the demands of our society", as Mr Loy Hwa Wei mentioned ("Extension of pre-abortion counselling empowers women"; Forum Online, last Friday).
It is only about a woman and her emotional and difficult decision to decide whether she should carry
the foetus to term or choose an abortion.
I hope that the move by the ministry will allow women to make their own informed decisions.
Han Ming Guang
