Can we make abortion as part of our family planning? If we look into the Helms Amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act, it says “No foreign assistance funds may be used to pay for the performance of abortion as a method of family planning or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions.”
This means that all recipients of US family planning assistance have been legally prohibited from supporting abortion as a method of family planning. USAID places high priority on preventing abortions through the use of family planning, saving the lives of women who suffer complications arising from unsafe abortion, and linking those women to voluntary family planning and other reproductive health services that will help prevent subsequent abortions. Unsafe abortions have put lives of women under threats and placed subsequent mental health problems on women.
The 1997 Cambodian Law on Abortion allows couples terminate pregnancy by abortion. Under this law, only certified medical professionals can provide abortion services (Article 5) upon the request of those women who are pregnant under 12 weeks old (Article 8). Also, abortion can be made only in government-approved facilities (Article 6). However, the on-going unsafe termination of pregnancy in Cambodia creates a lot of concerns and the law does not guarantee that women can obtain safe abortions. Derived from the WHO Journal Paper on Unsafe Abortion, 97% of unsafe abortions are in the developing countries and therein 55% are in Asia and Cambodia is one of developing countries in Asia.
The notice signed by Health Minister Mam Bun Heng and released on 8 December 2010 warns to take “strong measures” against service providers who do not abide by the 1997 Law on Abortion.
In Cambodia we can feel or hear a wide range of family planning techniques such as birth control, sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception counseling and management, infertility management or sterilization, and pregnancy termination.
According to the report of Population Reference Bureau (PRB), 57 percent of couples in developing countries use family planning today. This means that couples space the births of their children and prevent unwanted pregnancies by using different family planning methods including abortions.
WHO reported that many women in Cambodia still undergo dangerous abortions performed by illegal or unqualified providers. It said data at country level on this important reproductive health indicator is scarce because it is a very sensitive and a very private topic.
Abortions are not the only option for family planning as it can cause life threats and mental health problems. Recipients of USAID funds shall be aware of non-permission to support abortion as a method of family planning. However, post-abortion care such as the treatment of injuries or illnesses caused by legal or illegal abortion is permitted under the Helms Amendment.