Bangkok, Jun 29 (IANS): Activists and doctors on Friday urged Thai authorities to legalise abortion to avoid maternal deaths or cases of women who suffer health complications after seeking terminations in illegal clinics.
"The society has been changing bit by bit and although many Thais consider abortion a sin (according to Buddhist beliefs), they still think that if necessary, it can be done," Supecha Baotip, founder of a pro-choice non-governmental organisation called Tam-Tang, told Efe news.
In 2010, police found more than 2,000 fetuses hidden in a Buddhist temple in Bangkok that allegedly came from unregulated clinics and self-induced abortions.
Two people involved in the scheme were sentenced to 20 years and 40 months in prison, respectively.
Illegal clinics in Thailand charge clients between $230 and $1,150 dollars for the procedure.