Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
May 19, 2016 News
The Ministry of Public Health has recorded 800 reported cases of abortions for 2015. However Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shamdeo Persaud believes this figure may be higher.
Abortion has been legal in Guyana for the past 20 years but the topic is still taboo, causing many women to opt for “bottom-house style” abortions and some private medical practitioners to not report cases when they are performed privately. Abortion is legal until 28 weeks, when the fetus is legally believed to be a human life and thus can survive on its own.
Dr. Persaud stated that there is evidence to suggest that the numbers are lessening for abortion with more planned pregnancies being implemented. However, he stated that while the figures prove one thing, the actual data might be well over 1000 since there are many unreported cases.
He asserted that the Ministry has been encouraging private practitioners to report cases of abortion but so far there has been little to none. “The cases may be double that number,” he emphasized.
Persaud noted that abortions are free at public hospitals and other public facilities but there is a procedure to abide by. He stated that the pregnant mother would be tested to see if her pregnancy is eligible for termination and once approval is given, she will be given a date to return and forty hours to discuss the termination with her partner.
He stated that prior to the termination the pregnant woman would be counseled and again after the abortion. She will be given a chance to protect herself from future pregnancies by using a contraceptive of her choice.
Nevertheless, Dr. Persaud indicated that carrying out an abortion is a risk in every stage, not only in the latter trimesters of pregnancy.
Although abortion has been legal for 20 years, the majority of terminations are not done at public hospitals, saves for cases where the patient faces a life threatening medical emergency or is a rape victim.
Public Health Minister Dr. George Norton had indicated the Ministry’s intention for women to be able to terminate a pregnancy at any public facility.
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