Stable family is foundation for suicide prevention

I refer to the letter “LGBT youth at higher risk of suicide, more support needed” (April 29).

The Ministry of Education (MOE), in a parliamentary reply in October, stated that youth suicides “often occur due to a combination of reasons”, including family problems, relationship difficulties, difficulties in coping with challenges and mental health issues.

The MOE emphasised that each school has a referral system that facilitates early and systematic identification of students with difficulties.

Teachers look out for changes in students’ behaviour and provide the first line of intervention to assist students with more immediate concerns. Students are urged to be supportive of one another and to encourage their friends to seek help from a trusted adult when they encounter difficulties.

Cases requiring further support are referred to school counsellors and the Institute of Mental Health’s community mental health teams for assessment and further intervention.

Samaritans of Singapore (SOS), a secular non-profit organisation that provides 24-hour confidential emotional support to people who have difficulty coping during a crisis, who are thinking of suicide or affected by suicide, is the only suicide prevention centre here.

It said last year that depression, issues relating to family ties and boy-girl relationship issues were the top three problems faced by youth below 30 years old, who comprised 24 per cent of all suicides in 2013 (“Rise in proportion of youth committing suicide”; July 31).

Suicidal youth pointed to family relationships as the most common problem leading to intense distress and suicidal thoughts.

Counsellors from the SOS and other organisations pointed out the importance of effective communication and understanding among family members in building a stable family structure that empowers youth to cope positively with the stressors of life.

Youth suicides, like any form of suicide, affect the community, in particular the youths’ families and friends. This serious issue cannot be attributed to one particular factor. Let us not sensationalise it or use it as propaganda for any agenda.

Suicide is an indicator that stresses the need to find out the root causes of distress. A stable family structure is the foundation we can work on towards suicide prevention.
http://www.todayonline.com/voices/stable-family-foundation-suicide-prevention

Community support also plays a part

I READ with dismay that some foreign workers pay as much as $10,000 for a chance to work in Singapore ("Some who employ foreign workers still demand kickbacks"; April 13).

It is reassuring that the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) is prepared to take on the care and protection of any migrant worker complainant or witness ("Workers urged to report bosses demanding kickbacks"; last Thursday).

While laws are put in place to deter errant employers and employment agencies from exploiting foreign workers monetarily, fostering greater community support and participation from the public is vital to the overall welfare of these foreign workers.

In my encounters with foreign workers, I have found them very courteous, helpful and hard-working.

They deserve the respect of each one of us, not only because they build our infrastructure, but simply because they are human, like us, deserving of love and care, respect and fair treatment.

In our interactions with them, we can inquire after their welfare and help them to better integrate with our society.

We can give them any help needed and link them with the available resources.

We can be a friend to them, knowing that they are a part of our lives.

Let us seek to understand these foreign workers, just as how we want to be understood.

With the help of the Government, the MWC and other non-governmental organisations, as well as the participation of the public, the welfare of foreign workers in Singapore can be better taken care of.

Stop killing babies

This letter was sent to ST Forum but was not published.

I read with some encouragement that from April 17, pre-abortion counselling will be extended to all pregnant women seeking to end their pregnancies in Singapore. 

There will no longer be any criteria with regard to nationality, educational status or number of children. (Parliament: Pre-abortion counselling to be extended to all pregnant women, April 13)

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong received feedback through online channels and focus group discussions with various stakeholders including healthcare professionals, social workers and Non-Governmental organizations (NGOs) that extending pre-abortion counselling to all pregnant women seeking Termination Of Pregnancy (TOP) can help them to make an informed decision on whether to undergo an abortion. ('Pre-abortion counselling extended to all pregnant women from April 17', Channel News Asia, April 13)

This, together with updates in guidelines on the TOP (include medical, psychological and emotional aspects), in the counselling materials as well as the skills and techniques of abortion counsellors by the Ministry of Health (MOH) send a strong message to the public that abortion is a serious issue. 
It concerns not only a pregnant woman, a human life in her womb as well as her family and that of her partner's.

Feedback received by MOH include: to mandate parental consent for teenage abortions and to extend the 48 hours cooling off period before the women make a decision to proceed with the TOP following the pre-abortion counselling. 

Regrettingly, these factors that can greatly help these women to make an informed decision were not deemed important enough to be taken into consideration.

The purpose of pre-abortion counselling is "to ensure that the woman fully understands the implications of abortion", as then-Acting Minister for Health Mr Yeo Cheow Tong explained in 1987. 

This is founded on the principle of informed consent.

In Singapore, a young person under the age of 18 cannot legally purchase cigarettes or alcohol, consent to be married, nor have the capacity to enter into a contract. 

Yet there is no legal requirement nor mandate for parental consent for minors (under 16) to undergo abortion. 

This is an irony and sends a confusing message to our young. 

Is a minor mature enough to understand and go through the implications of an invasive procedure on her body?

No matter how skilled a counsellor is or how comprehensive a social support network is, nothing cannot replace the family support that a minor needs. How can parents give support if it is not compulsory that they are in the know? 

Where there is lack of family support, that's when more help is needed by our government and the NGOs.

Abortion is a trauma to a woman physically, mentally, socially and emotionally. 

It affects all aspects of a woman's life, including the impact on her family. 

That explains why updates in guidelines of TOP include the medical, psychological and emotional aspects of abortion are needed. Can a decision that involves the pregnant woman, that of her child and her partner be hastily made in two days, especially now that a more holistic framework in abortion counselling is implemented with the aim to help her to make an informed decision?

Abortion is a serious issue as it involves the loss of innocent lives, taking into account that there is an average of 12,000 abortions a year in Singapore alone.

Death; a reminder of life

Third trip to Poipet. 
I had a breakthrough! 
I vomited during the first two trips and actually was rather apprehensive for this trip, on top of some concerns. 
Left knee tends to act up before I go on trips, times when I would need to walk more...
BUT this time, I ate what everyone ate and I did not vomit! 
Yeah! 
Knee was super cooperative and all other concerns were taken care of naturally. 
The supernatural things of God become natural! 
On the way back to Singapore, I saw the plane hovering above the oceans. 
In reality, air crashes are common now. 
Many thoughts ran through my mind. 
The fragility of life, how we do not have control over life and death when we are confined in the plane or anywhere else...it's absurd to think we are in control. 
I reflected on whether I have lived my life to the fullest...
The thought of death makes us think of life. 
It's not morbid, it's not lack of faith. 
It's facing reality, knowing and FULLY appreciating that it's by God's mercy and grace that we are alive every moment to glorify His name! 
Want to thank the team for helping me throughout the trip! You are God-sent!:D

Great is Thy faithfulness!

End 2012 was my second trip to Poipet, Cambodia. 
My hand was scalded before I boarded the plane and on the van trip to Poipet, the skin of my wound was torn when my hand rubbed against the seat. 
The risk of infection was great but our God provides everything. 
When we arrived at the hotel, a few doctors and a group of medical students from Singapore were staying at the same hotel as us! 
I always like to share this testimony cos it's such a miracle to me as even for this time round, same as the first time, we don't see any medical team. 
They could have come at other times but to be there at the time when you most needed medical attention, it's awesome! 
Recently someone asked, "You still go when you have a wound?" 
At that moment, I didn't think of that. I was all packed and ready to go. 
I'm glad I went else I wouldn't witness God's provision!
Now I have a not too pretty scar on my hand that looks like a birthmark BUT it's an imprint and a great reminder of God's faithfulness to those who trust in Him. 
Great is Thy faithfulness!