Turkmenistan’s ban on abortions putting women’s lives at risk

 

28.08.2024

 

Article published on the azattyq.org website

 

Turkmen authorities are increasingly restricting women’s access to an abortion.

 

Doctors are warning that stricter regulations are putting women’s lives and health at risk as desperate patients resort to unsafe methods for terminating unwanted pregnancies.

 

Medical sources in Turkmenistan say that officials are continuing to limit women’s access to an abortion, threatening physicians who perform this procedure and denying patients counselling to discuss options for a termination.

 

Several health workers in Turkmenistan have told Azatlyk on condition of anonymity that doctors have been warned that carrying out abortions will cost them their licence, even if the surgery is performed in accordance with legal rules.

 

“Following warnings from representatives from the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry and law enforcement officials, doctors are sending women away who come to them for an abortion, refusing even to talk to them”, said one Ashgabat physician on 20 August.

 

According to health workers, doctors have the right to terminate a pregnancy only if the foetus shows no sign of life. The authorities also strictly monitor how doctors prescribe abortion pills to patients.

 

Medical workers say that the restrictions have forced women to resort to unsafe methods and, in so doing, putting their lives at risk. It has also created an environment where bribery is rife, with some doctors continuing to secretly perform abortions for large sums of money.

 

Azatlyk’s sources have been speaking off the record for fear of reprisal. Our editorial staff have been unable to independently verify these allegations, nor have Turkmen officials responded to our requests for comment.

 

In 2022, Turkmenistan passed a law that reduced the period during which women are allowed to terminate a pregnancy without a medical reason from 12 to five weeks.

 

The Public Health Protection Act also provides for a termination up to 22 weeks for “social” or “medical” reasons if a “special medical commission” concludes that they are valid in each case.

 

Under the law, a pregnancy can only be terminated on medical grounds after 22 weeks, subject to the judgement of a specially created panel of doctors. However, in practice, “the authorities do not take account of exemptions that are allowed under the legislation”, one Turkmen doctor told Azatlyk.

 

The law has raised concerns among health professionals who say that the five-week limit is too short as many women do not even know they’re pregnant at that stage.

 

The law was passed in May 2015 but not made public or enforced until seven years later. The authorities have never explained why.

 

Dangerous alternatives

 

The restrictions have resulted in a sharp rise in illegal abortions, bribery and the use of unsafe methods by women desperate to terminate unwanted pregnancies.

 

According to Azatlyk sources, some gynaecologists in Ashgabat charge between $500 and $1,000 for illegal abortions which is more than Turkmenistan’s average monthly wage. In the cities of Turkmenbashi and Balkanabat in Balkan province, the size of the bribe varies depending on the stage of the pregnancy.

 

If the pregnancy is up to two months, a termination will cost around 5,000 manat (about $1,430) – if it is three months or more, it can cost 50,000 manat (approximately $14,300), one Balkan doctor said.

 

Although most covert abortions are performed in hospitals, patients are denied medical care after the operation, are unable to defend their rights, or demand safeguards in the event of complications arising from the surgery.

 

According to one Ashgabat obstetrician, women who do not have the money to pay bribes often take risks by using extremely dangerous alternatives.

 

“Given the lack of abortion options, women sit in bath water containing potassium permanganate, i.e. manganese, for hours in an attempt to induce a miscarriage, or take large doses of period-inducing drugs, which can have serious health consequences”, said the doctor.

 

The poor suffer the most

 

The Progress Foundation, a US-based non-governmental organisation that supports progressive initiatives in Turkmenistan, says the ones who suffer the most in this situation are women who have limited resources or come from a poor education background. The Foundation, which brings together activists and experts, is calling for proper access to safe abortions and post-operative medical care.

 

The CSO also stresses the urgent need to improve women’s access to contraceptive pills, sexual and reproductive health services and family planning advice, particularly in rural areas.

 

According to the organisation, only 47% of women of child-bearing age in Turkmenistan are able to obtain modern forms of contraception. The CSO has also expressed concern about the lack of training for Turkmen health workers on sexual and reproductive health and women’s rights.

 

The law on Public Health Protection only allows terminations to be performed in State-run medical institutions. However, according to official 2022 statistics, there are only 95 reproductive health clinics and 76 licensed gynaecologists who can perform abortions in a country where the number of women of child-bearing age is estimated to be around 1.6 million.

 

Under Turkmenistan’s Criminal Code, doctors who carry out abortions outside State hospitals or without legal approval face up to two-years’ hard labour. In addition, the law imposes a penalty of up to two years in prison for abortion providers who operate without a licence.

 

Source: https://rus.azattyq.org/a/turkmenistan-crackdown-on-abortion–putting-lives-at-risk/33094219.html