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.