Richard S. Ehrlich: Superstition complicates Thai abortion debate

Soft-spoken Buddhist monks advise Thai women who have unwanted pregnancies that they should not seek abortions because it is a major sin. They explain that during the complicated process of reincarnation, it is difficult to be reborn as a human, so any possibility of life within a womb must be cherished and kept alive. 

"If you are reincarnated as a person, that is because you are very lucky," says one university-educated woman who frequently visits Buddhist temples. 

Thailand is currently considering if it should liberalize its strict anti-abortion laws, and both sides of the controversy are studying Buddhism's concept of reincarnation to justify their argument or insist that a female's personal freedom and health is more important. 

Probably the best description of Buddhist reincarnation appears in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, written in the eighth century, which quotes holy men who say they consciously died and personally selected the next human womb where they were born again. 

The book warns that when you are dead, do not desire a new body, because that will make you miserable, frustrated and liable to make a mistake in which womb you choose. 

"Thou wilt see visions of males and females in union," the Tibetan Book of the Dead says. "Remember to withhold thyself from going between them" -- or else you will be conceived against your will. 

Not all wombs are created equal, and some use false advertising.

"In selecting the womb-door thus, there is a possibility of error: through the influence of karma, good wombs may appear bad, and bad wombs may appear good."

This means the dead person could be in for a shock. 

"Encased in oval form, in the embryonic state, and upon emerging from the womb and opening its eyes, it may find itself transformed into a young dog. Formerly it had been a human being, but now, if it has become a dog, it findeth itself undergoing sufferings in a dog's kennel. Or perhaps a pig in a pigsty, or as an ant in an ant-hill." 

Many Thais meld such concerns about reincarnation with a widespread fear of ghosts. People often worry that an aborted baby will become a vicious ghost, lingering in this world to punish the mother and anyone else involved in preventing the child's birth.

Amid all the anxiety about reproduction, many Thai girls become extremely shy when discussing the subject of sexual behavior, and their parents and teachers also clam up when explaining the graphic details. 

As a result, women's rights groups and others now face the triple hurdles of Buddhism, superstition and inhibition whenever they try to convince people that Thailand's anti-abortion laws are too repressive.

During the past few decades, hardline Buddhists and their political allies convinced voters and the government to restrict abortions, and the law now allows the operation only when a woman's life is in danger, or if she's under 15 years old, raped or an incest victim. 

While wealthy females are usually able to have a secret abortion illegally in Thailand or by visiting foreign countries, the burden of unwanted pregnancies hits the poorer strata of Thai society hardest.

The agonizing debate over abortion suddenly reignited during November, when police discovered 2,002 illegally aborted fetuses hidden in a Buddhist temple's mortuary vaults where they were drying out to be secretly cremated, to destroy the evidence.

After police arrested an alleged abortionist, and detained the temple's two undertakers, the monks at the Phai Ngern Chotanaram temple in Bangkok quickly organized a spiritual cleansing ritual. Many of the people who went offered gifts for the fetuses' spirits in the afterworld, including stuffed toys, candy and other child-like things. 

While all sides try to decide who should be allowed to have an abortion and under what circumstances, the effects of unwanted children has created burdens throughout society, especially among single mothers who become prostitutes to support their offspring.

Many young women say that the money they earn as sex workers in bars and massage parlors goes to take care of their baby, after their husband or boyfriend abandoned them. 

Condoms, birth control pills and other forms of contraception have been available in Thailand since the 1970s, but love, lust, accidents and a lack of planning frequently cause unwanted pregnancies, leaving both partners with few options. 

Many couples do stay together and raise their child.  But Thais are still wondering what is the best way to mix their Buddhist beliefs with the health and welfare of the people involved.

Orphanages are not the sole answer, because many Thais are not attracted to caring for a stranger's kid and prefer -- if they do want to adopt -- a niece or nephew whose ancestry is known, instead of a generic child. 

The problem is not new. During the U.S.-Vietnam War, many American troops based in Thailand enjoyed trysts with Thai women, resulting in an Amerasian baby boom -- especially near U.S. military bases.

At the end of the 1960s, an estimated 5,000 Amerasian babies had recently been born in Thailand, including many who were fathered from among the 45,000 U.S. troops stationed here who dated prostitutes, officials said.

Today, people who favor loosening the abortion laws are buoyed by reports that the younger generation is more liberal about the procedure, which remains an unpopular topic among older Thais.

The way Thai celebrities have been mishandling their own pregnancies has also made the subject less taboo. 

Sensing a vacuum in Thai society about teaching the consequences of unprotected sex, the media is now filling the role by exposing unwanted pregnancies, abortion, and adoption, albeit with a heavy dose of gossip and paparazzi sensationalism.