Is it time to discuss the ' A' Word ?

Should a woman in Trinidad and Tobago have the right to have an abortion, this time in light of the spread of the Zika virus and the effects of microcephaly on unborn babies? In its weekly Zika virus situation report on Thursday, the World Health Organization said the mosquito-borne Zika virus causes microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

“Based on a growing body of preliminary research, there is scientific consensus that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and Guillain- Barre syndrome,” the WHO said. Previously, the agency said there was not yet enough scientific evidence to say the virus caused these conditions, although it was likely.

Microcephaly and other foetal malformations believed to be associated with Zika have been reported in six countries, including Brazil, where there have been a total of 745 confirmed microcephaly cases.

In Trinidad and Tobago there have been 11 confirmed cases of Zika, including a pregnant 23-year-old woman who, according to media reports, subsequently miscarried. And while the woman’s miscarriage was not as a cause of Zika, the situation became a talking point, with woman asking themselves and other women, if they would consider having an abortion if they contracted Zika while pregnant.

The question being asked is: should TT, like Barbados, review its abortion laws? “In Trinidad and Tobago, if anyone attempts to procure an abortion, she is guilty of a felony, so it is a crime. I think this nation needs a referendum. This cannot be resolved by judges or a minister of government. It has to be the people deciding on such issues,” gynaecologist and Member of Parliament Dr Tim Gopeesingh has said.

Jo-Anne (not her real name), a single mother of one agrees. She has had two abortions. “The first time I got pregnant I was 20 years old and it was for my first serious boyfriend. I was still a student and knew there was no way either he or I could afford a baby. As serious as I was about him I knew he was not the one I would marry so a termination was my only option,” she tells WMN.

Because of the legal implications and not knowing where to go to have the procedure done, she sought the help of a friend’s mother, who referred her to a doctor. “I did go to a doctor’s office to have it done and I was pretty unashamed about the whole thing, although I was nervous. It’s easy to be pro-life when you are in a stable relationship and have resources.

I was never one to sit in judgment of other people, so I did not feel like a hypocrite, and honestly I did not struggle with the decision,” she recalls.

“The process was beyond painful but I dealt with it because the other option was one I had already rejected. The doctor used a speculum and did a D&C (dilation and curettage, a procedure to remove tissue from inside your uterus). I would not wish it on my worst enemy, but I grit my teeth and bore it. It was the price I had to pay for having unprotected sex with someone I did not see a future with.” Jo-Anne says she informed the baby’s father after the fact. “I knew he would be against it and would probably raise a big stink with my family and try to force me to marry him. He was that kind of person and I didn’t want the drama, so unfortunately I had to make the decision on my own.” Unfortunately for her, there were complications, causing her to bleed for much longer than she should have. “I did end up on further medication to stop the haemorrhaging. I did have some difficulty functioning afterwards. I was terribly run down and had such a busy schedule, juggling working and studying full time, and I was alone.

I had friends but that’s not something you discuss over lunch, is it? I know how judgmental people could be so I did keep it to myself until many years later.” Years later Jo-anne found herself in a similar situation, this time though, it was a bit more complicated. “I was engaged and living abroad. I was not in a position to maintain a child on my own, because even though I was in a relationship and was engaged, I don’t believe in being dependant on a man. I would not be comfortable being barefoot and pregnant no matter how much I loved my partner. This time the father of the child and I made the decision together. Even though we eventually parted ways, every time we spoke over the years he’d say it was his biggest regret in life.” She, however, did not share this sentiment. “It was not my biggest regret, it was something I did because I needed to do it. The termination I had that time was legal and affordable. I was counselled at a clinic before I could have the procedure done, I was asked about my reasons for wanting the procedure and it was explained to me in detail so I knew what to expect. I was medically checked and the medication was administered.

“Although it was a termination before three months, just like the other time, there were options for treatment.

I got a shot and had to take some pills. It was a lot less painful physically and emotionally. It was the right decision for me because I really was not in a position to care for a child, especially far away from my support network in a place I really didn’t know. While you don’t want to think of an abortion as a pleasant experience, this approach greatly reduced the stresses and the complications I had experienced the first time around,” she says.

For Alexia Rae (not her real name), the circumstances were similar but the outcome was much different. The mother of one got pregnant at 18, while she was still at school. Her relationship with the baby’s father was strained and she took the decision to abort because she was adamant she was not going to be a single mother. “I had made up my mind and no one was going to change it,” she tells WMN. Today, however, she is convinced it was never meant to be.

“The first time a friend set up an appointment for me.

When we went to the place, in Port-of-Spain it was a sort of black market setting. There was a cardboard sign that said ‘closed until further notice’,” she chuckles. Her second attempt took her to a doctor’s office in Curepe, where she waited for over an hour before she saw the doctor, only to be told he no longer did abortions.

Her third attempt came after she was referred to another doctor by a friend. But again, it was not meant to be.

“He was charging $3,000 to do it and I did not have that much. I approached the baby’s dad for help but he refused because he wanted me to proceed with the pregnancy.” Her final attempt to terminate, this time in Arima, was again blocked. “When my mother found out I was pregnant she never gave an opinion on whether I should abort or keep the baby,” but that didn’t prevent her from saying what was on her mind. “One day she was dropping me off at school and giving me one of her speeches. I got upset and in order to silence her I told her I would be terminating the pregnancy on Saturday morning. She drove off and then returned and told me ‘No!’” Alexia Rae says this made her really think about it. “This was the fourth time I had tried and ran into a brick wall.

Plus I had also tried all the old school methods like aloes and hot Guinness. I spoke to my mom about it and I decided to keep the baby,” – a decision she says she will never regret. “To this day it (her decision to abort) is something I still pray for forgiveness for,” she reveals.

There are women who believe it is a woman’s right to choose whether or not she should terminate a pregnancy, while there are others who hold the view that it is spiritually and morally wrong to do so. The question remains, should the laws of the land be reviewed to make abortions legal in given circumstances? “I think we need to make that option available to women.

If safe abortions are made available, the ‘slip and slide’ ward at the hospital, the one for botched abortions, will no longer be necessary. The Family Court will not be as overcrowded. It would save the country money,” Jo-anne believes.

Reflecting on her abortions, she says she still has no regrets. “Years later I went on to have a baby of my own, and even though I still struggle to care for him, I am in a much better place than I would have been if I had not had the terminations. I do think about it once in a blue moon, but I knew the choices available to me at the time and I made the best decision I could, so I don’t feel guilty about it.

“Terminating a pregnancy is not something to take lightly, as there is a cost to your body. It takes a while to recover physically and emotionally but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. My only regret was that although I knew about contraception I was not diligent in using it.” Alexia Rae also believes a woman should have the right to legally have an abortion if it is best for her. “I am a Christian and I believe abortion should be legalized. I am not God and neither am I to judge, there are many undesirable circumstances that can occur from which a woman can become pregnant. Why should she not be allowed to exercise her freedom of choice legally? Both sides of the fence should be equally legal, she tells