The choice should be the woman’s and we need to support her, whatever decision she takes, whether to terminate the pregnancy or bring up the child,” he said, adding that life began four billion years ago, but human life has been around only for 2.5 millio

Canberra, Australia; Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Dr. Sardha Hemapriya of the Kandy Teaching Hospital; and Senior Lecturer in Forensic Medicine Dr. Induwara Gooneratne of the Peradeniya Medical Faculty. The anti-abortion (opposing) team comprised Leader and Consultant Psychiatrist/Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry Dr. Shehan Williams of the Ragama Medical Faculty, Kelaniya University; Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Jayan Mendis of the National Institute of Mental Health, Angoda; and Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Sajeewana Amerasinghe of the Tangalle Base Hospital.

The pro-abortion team put forth the view that as people can decide when to have a child, the choice whether to terminate a pregnancy should not be taken out of the woman’s hands. Dr. Kalyana Rodrigo with his hand on his heart asked the audience whether they would decide on the sanctity of life of the foetus if their mothers, wives or daughters were raped and the morning-after-pill did not work.

“The choice should be the woman’s and we need to support her, whatever decision she takes, whether to terminate the pregnancy or bring up the child,” he said, adding that life began four billion years ago, but human life has been around only for 2.5 million years.

We have grandiose ideas and have endowed ourselves with human rights, he said, adding that in the bigger scheme of things, however, bacteria are more important than humans.

Dr. Rodrigo also argued that nothing is black and white, there should be a case-by-case decision on abortion and for that Sri Lanka should have enabling legislation to let the woman decide.

This is while Dr. Sardha Hemapriya elaborated along with disturbing photographs the suffering of mothers-to-be when the foetus has serious issues such as anencephaly when the brain is not developed, the foetus has its organs developing out of its body or when there are genetic abnormalities. “We can detect abnormalities through tests such as amniocentesis but there is no law allowing termination. If we can terminate such pregnancies at around 11 to 13 weeks we can alleviate much suffering for the mother,” he said.

Currently, around the world there are seven causes which would permit the termination of a pregnancy. They are: To save a woman’s life; to preserve a woman’s physical health; to preserve a woman’s mental health; in the case of rape or incest; because of foetal impairment; for economic or social reasons; and on request. Sri Lanka allows termination only ‘to save a woman’s life’ but we need to consider several other causes which merit a termination, he urged.

Referring to the fact that many maternal deaths are due to serious heart conditions, Dr. Hemapriya said heart disease and several other illnesses such as pulmonary hypertension are conditions in the medical world which are contraindications for pregnancy. If the pregnancy continues, the mother will die and as such termination is the only option.

Dr. Induwara Gooneratne said that anti-abortionists were stuck between assumption, fiction and reality. If the argument is that people should resort to contraception as against abortion, everyone is aware about the failure of contraception sometimes.

He also spoke at length on how science has not yet solved the problem of when life actually starts in the womb and the law must decide on pragmatic evidence.

Reiterating that abortion is happening in Sri Lanka under trained and untrained hands, Dr. Gooneratne said that when the woman is given the choice by law her safety would be ensured.

This is also an issue affecting the poor, he said, adding that when a rich woman needs an abortion she can go to Singapore and get it done, but the poor woman has to face the burden of bearing the baby, feeding the baby and also taking care of the baby.

He asked whether any woman who is the victim of rape, gang-rape or incest would want to have a baby from that terrible, life-changing experience.

(Next: Spotlight on euthanasia)