Before proceeding to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, it is very important to know safe termination processes, laws regulating the abortion and the associated risks. As per Singapore abortion law, it is legal to terminate a pregnancy before 24 weeks of gestation. Here are other details you need to know about Singapore abortion procedure.
Who is eligible for abortion?
According to Singapore abortion law, citizens who fulfill any of the below-given eligibility criteria can undergo an abortion.
- Citizen of Singapore.
- Wives of Singapore citizens.
- Women living in Singapore for the past four months.
- Any women without age restriction including those below 21 years of age without the need of parental consent. Women below 21 years of age need parental consent in case of miscarriage.
- Foreigners with a permit to work in Singapore.
What has to be done before an abortion?
Before undergoing abortion it is essential for the women to undergo counseling at clinics authorized to conduct an abortion. They should also watch a video related to the abortion procedure and the associated risks. After counseling, women should wait for 48 hours to undergo an abortion.
The process of abortion
In Singapore, abortion is performed in two different ways – using a syringe or through a vacuum, aspiration depending on the requirement. Both the processes can be completed in just five to ten minutes. Six hours before undergoing the procedure the patient should not eat or drink anything including water.
Pregnancy of 12 weeks or less can be terminated easily through vacuum aspiration. During the procedure, the patient is put to sleep and a small tube is inserted into the womb through the vagina. The fetus, as well as associated content, is removed from the womb.
In case of pregnancies from 13 weeks to 24 weeks abortion would be slightly messy. Patient has to be hospitalized for about a day or two. Initially, a medicine is injected into the vagina to initiate the abortion process. Then vacuum aspiration is performed normally to expel the contents of the womb.
Hence, to ease the process of abortion it is recommended to make a decision within three months of gestation.
After completion of the procedure the patient is recommended to rest for 24 hours for the effects of anesthesia to wear off and also for the pain or discomfort to reduce.
Abortion after 24 weeks of gestation
In Singapore abortion after 24 weeks of gestation is illegal. To avoid legal complications doctors do not perform abortion after 23 weeks of gestation. However, abortion can be performed after 24 weeks of gestation with special permission from the concerned authorities if there any lethal abnormalities of fetus or other complications.
Risks of abortion
Complications after abortion are rare. Some of the rare complications observed after abortion include
- Hemorrhage of the womb.
- Infection of the cervix.
- Damage to the uterine wall when the probe penetrates through the womb wall during abortion. A keyhole surgery is performed to repair the perforation.
- Infertility is rarely observed in pregnancies carried out in unhygienic conditions.
Cost
Depending on the clinic you choose, the complications involved and the process chosen cost for abortion in Singapore can be between $400 and $2,000.
Lastly, decision to undergo abortion or not lies in the hands of the women. However, the medical practitioner can give his or her opinion on the abortion and can reject to perform the abortion on various grounds like social or religious.
Singapore Abortion clinic. The OBGYN Centre delivers abortions in a safe, sterile & discreet private surgicentre without compromising one’s fertility.
