Teenage abortions on the rise

Teenage abortions are on the rise in Kyrgyzstan, with young women from rural areas being particularly prone to unwanted pregnancies due to a lack of awareness about the risks of unprotected sex combined with their traditional upbringing. Although the number of abortions as a whole has decreased in the country over the past decade from 12.6 to 10.8 per 1,000 women of fertile age, a higher proportion is now performed on teenagers, Roza Amiraeva from the medical care and licensing department of the health ministry told IRIN in the capital Bishkek. "The majority of them are teenagers from 12 to 19 years old," she said. Janara's story is not untypical. "I became pregnant accidentally. I did not even think that I had to protect myself from pregnancy," the 14-year-old school student, told IRIN in Bishkek. "I was afraid to tell my parents about it. I had an abortion in my third month and borrowed money from my friends [for it]." According to health officials, the majority of Kyrgyz teenagers having abortions come from rural areas. The problem is fuelled by a lack of awareness on the part of young men and women fed by a traditional rural upbringing, analysts say. Often, when young women come to urban areas and are suddenly free from the constraints of their traditional communities, unwanted pregnancies sometimes follow. "When it comes to sexual intercourse, a girl just cannot ask a guy to use a condom often because of a psychological barrier. And this can result in an unwanted pregnancy," Jaidar Kazakova, a gynaecologist at the youth health centre of the Meerim international charity fund, explained. Cholpon, 19, is a university student from a rural district who fell victim to her ignorance. "I got scared when I found out that I had been put in the family way [pregnant]. I had nobody to go to. I was afraid of my parents and relatives since I was raised in a traditional family, where such things are considered shameful," she told IRIN in Bishkek. She wanted to have a termination, but did not have the money. It took her eight months to save the amount needed. When her sisters found out about it, they took her to a doctor, but he refused to perform such a late abortion. In the end, she was persuaded to deliver the baby and give it up for adoption. According to the Kyrgyz health ministry, teenage abortions in the country in 2003 reached more than 260, with the highest figures in the northern Chui and southern Osh provinces. In 2001, 124 girls aged between 15 and 17 had abortions, while in 2002 that figure stood at 113. Another worrying aspect for health officials is that teenage abortions can be fraught with serious complications as they are often performed in unsafe circumstances. "Abortions can have far-reaching consequences, including inflammatory diseases, which result in menstrual irregularities, barrenness, perforation of the uterus and sepsis [blood poisoning]," Amiraeva, a gynaecologist by profession, warned. "Before performing abortions, we have interviews with girls. In addition, a psychiatrist and a gynaecologist participate in interviews. We do our best to persuade them not to have abortions. This is why many girls prefer to go to private clinics, when everything is done anonymously and no IDs are required," Kazakova maintained. Criminal abortions were also on the rise, Amiraeva pointed out, citing a recent incident in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh. A girl went to a private clinic to have a "secret" abortion, not having told her parents. Back at home she felt unwell, but could not confess to her parents what she had done. "She stayed in bed for 10 days with a high temperature and finally her parents decided to take her to hospital. Unfortunately, it was too late and she died from her infection." A recent report by the health ministry said the rise in deaths caused by complications after abortions in the south was a concern. Deaths had increased 3.5 times in the southern Jalal-Abad province over the past year and in 50 percent of the cases the termination was illegal, the report said. "We must promote education and preventive activities to increase awareness among young people, maybe on a higher level. We have to start from kindergartens, primary schools and colleges," Kazakova stressed. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Bishkek is working to raise awareness of reproductive health issues in an effort to reduce unwanted pregnancies. "We explain to young people how to use contraceptives, how to avoid getting pregnant unnecessarily and how to manage family planning," Gulnara Kadyrova, a project coordinator for UNFPA, told IRIN. The National Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan is also contributing to efforts to deal with the issue. "Recently we opened an anonymous counselling centre, where we are going to provide help for girls with abortion problems," Natalya Bibikova, the Red Crescent Society's Bishkek coordinator, said.