20/10/2025
A friend sent this to me yesterday. It’s heartbreaking! We need to find a way for these 100,000 women to find us or for us to find them. They need to know they have a choice and support.
เราต้องอธิษฐานขอให้ผู้หญิง 100,000 คนนี้พบเราพวกเขาต้องรู้ว่าพวกเขามีทางเลือกและการสนับสนุน
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17NsfXwJpM/?mibextid=wwXIfr
A doctor reveals that over 100,000 Thai women consult about unplanned pregnancies and are waiting for termination of pregnancy, but still face reimbursement bottleneck issues – increasing risks.
On October 18, 2025, Dr. Chutinat Chinudomporn, an internal medicine doctor and member of the Referral System for Safe Abortion (RSA) network and member of Thamthang Foundation, disclosed that the current law allows doctors to legally terminate pregnancies for mothers with unplanned pregnancies between 0-22 weeks gestation. For safety standards, the Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health, announced that for pregnancies less than 12 weeks gestation, pregnant women can consult a doctor at a healthcare facility to receive medication for self-termination.
For pregnancies between 12-22 weeks gestation, they must be admitted as inpatients at a hospital. It was found that not all healthcare facilities can perform this procedure because some doctors have a different attitude towards abortion.
"Some provinces do not have any abortion services, causing patients to seek methods to terminate their pregnancy themselves. Some choose to go to illegal pharmacies where the drug formula may be incorrect and pose a dangerous risk to the patients," Dr. Chutinat said.
Dr. Chutinat stated that the National Health Security Office (NHSO) has allocated a disease prevention and health promotion budget to care for this group of patients, calculated at 3,000 Baht per person. Following this, the NHSO collaborated with the Referral System for Safe Abortion (RSA) network to adjust the format of legal abortion services through telemedicine for those with pregnancies under 12 weeks gestation, because the medication has a high safety rate of over 96%.
However, problems were found regarding the reimbursement of medical expenses with the NHSO. Furthermore, newly opened service units are still unable to register with the NHSO. This has created a bottleneck, making it difficult for patients to access services. This results in an increase in gestational age, which further increases the risk to the patients.
Dr. Chutinat said that unplanned pregnancies can actually be prevented at the source by promoting prevention through condom use, providing accurate sexual education, or correct contraception, which is a treatment right under the NHSO and free of charge for the public. However, it is currently found that the number of pregnant women with unplanned pregnancies who wish to legally terminate their pregnancy is increasing.
Some legal clinics receive more than 600 patients per month. Meanwhile, data shows that over 180,000 people consult about unplanned pregnancies, with over 140,000 deciding to terminate the pregnancy.
Furthermore, service data indicates that the majority are early adolescents aged 15-20 years. Yet, the service figures remain very low because many service units cannot register with the NHSO for reimbursement, and most doctors have different attitudes about this issue. This reflects an increase in the number of illegal abortions.
"Abortion is an issue where patients cannot wait, because every week that passes is a risk that arises. The cost of abortion is not just about medication, but also includes other necessary services such as counseling and contraception. The average cost for termination of pregnancy under 12 weeks is approximately 1,500-3,000 Baht. This may not seem high, but in reality, many patients still cannot afford to pay, as financial problems are one reason people choose to terminate a pregnancy. Historically, high service uptake is found in the group of children aged 15 and above, who are legally allowed to receive the service without parental consent, up to those nearing 50 who still lack financial stability," Dr. Chutinat said.
Dr. Chutinat added that the RSA group, in collaboration with the Thamthang Foundation, has created a map of Thailand indicating the location of legal abortion clinics where services can be accessed free of charge. This provides an option for women with unplanned pregnancies to receive safe and legal treatment.
