Is Abortion Legal on Japan
Surgical abortion is provided by gynecologists in Japan, but most often with it. “The reality is that for some women, abortion is not possible for financial reasons,” Shirai said. “Contraception, abortion, pregnancy and childbirth should all be publicly funded.” Mizuho Fukushima, a lawmaker from the opposition Social Democratic Party, warned that the high cost of surgical abortions and the requirement for consent force women into unwanted pregnancies. As the U.S. Supreme Court is about to overturn a 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, the global spotlight is on reproductive care — including in Japan, which has some of the strictest restrictions on abortion among wealthy countries. But as in Yuriko`s case, many hospitals apply this requirement to single women anyway. The Health Ministry`s notice is not legally binding and allows clinics to create their own practices and prices for performing abortions, said Kumi Tsukahara, a founding member of Action for Safe Abortion Japan, a reproductive health advocacy group. In 2020, there were about 140,000 surgical abortions, according to the Ministry of Health. They cost between $740 and $3,000 — and have become a profitable business for abortion providers, said Takeshi Hasuda, director of Jikei Hospital. A scenario study was conducted to assess the extent to which the rate of unwanted pregnancies in Japan might change for the period when oral contraceptives (OCs) were not yet legalized for family planning purposes and couples relied primarily on condoms if more women were using CO. Data from Japan`s 1994 National Family Planning Survey were used to create scenarios of national contraceptive use.
Annual rates of contraceptive failure and non-use were applied to contraceptive scenarios to obtain estimates of the annual number of pregnancies associated with contraceptive failure. Subsequently, contraceptive use situations were defined assuming higher CO use rates and the associated change in the number of pregnancies related to contraceptive failure was estimated for each situation. It found that CO utilization rates of 15% reduced the expected number of unintended pregnancies by 13 to 17 percent, while utilization rates of 25 percent resulted in a decrease of 22 to 29 percent and utilization rates of 50 percent resulted in a decrease of 45 to 58 percent. The results were relatively robust in relation to variations in assumptions. In summary, it was found that any theoretical percentage increase in the rate of CO use in Japan resulted in a roughly equivalent decrease in the number of unintended pregnancies. [11] According to the researchers, in more than 99% of cases, the reason for abortion was to protect women`s health; This percentage remained constant during the period 1975-1995. [10] The same researchers also suggest that while official figures may be lower than the actual abortion rate, as doctors report too little to reduce tax bills and protect patients` identities, trends may be “reasonably accurate.” [10] “In principle, we believe that spousal consent is necessary even if an abortion is induced by oral medications,” Yasuhiro Hashimoto, a senior Health Ministry official, told a parliamentary committee earlier this month, according to Bloomberg. Elective abortion is usually a simple procedure in which a doctor or other medical provider terminates a pregnancy through medical intervention.
The exact procedure and associated costs vary depending on the number of weeks of pregnancy (how far the pregnancy has progressed), so it`s important to know how many weeks you`re pregnant. In the early stages of pregnancy (about 7-10 weeks), the cervix is slightly opened so that a small syringe can be inserted into the uterus and the pregnancy can be removed. The procedure is usually performed under light anesthesia, so there is minimal discomfort. After 12 weeks of pregnancy, hospitalization is necessary and facilities vary up to the number of weeks they can admit. The “abortion pill” (misoprostol) is not available in Japan. The Japanese Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology has called for the Maternal Health Law to be amended to allow women to have abortions during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy without the consent of others. WHO and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women have recommended that Japan abolish this requirement. “Spousal consent is not required for abortion and should be removed from the maternity protection law,” said Chiaki Shirai, a professor at Shizuoka University`s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Japan`s 1948 maternity protection law already requires consent for surgical abortions – with very few exceptions – a policy that activists say tramples on women`s reproductive rights. “There has been a lot of discussion about abortion and the consideration of reproductive rights as human rights at the United Nations, as well as the fact that the rights of a fetus cannot take precedence over women`s rights,” Tsukahara said. “I hope in Japan and the United States, if you look at these discussions, more people can understand that.” Abortions are possible in Japan under the Maternity Protection Law and up to 21 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy (in other words, within 21 weeks and 6 days of the start of the last menstrual period). After 22 weeks, abortions cannot be performed in Japan unless medically necessary.
Abortions must be performed by a doctor and usually in small local hospitals or clinics; There are no specialized abortion clinics in Japan. Japanese media also reported cases of doctors refusing to allow abortions for women who had been sexually assaulted and forcing health ministry officials to write to the Japanese Medical Association to clarify that consent is not required in rape cases. The global issues behind the fight against abortion in the United States Japanese media say the cost of a single dose could be about 100,000 yen ($780), about the same as a surgical abortion, and that women who take it must do so under strict medical supervision, possibly including hospitalization. Women`s health activists have called on the Japanese government to change a law that requires married women to obtain their husband`s consent before they can have an abortion. “The law does not prevent women from having abortions. But when it comes to that consent, sometimes women can`t get it, and women can`t get the abortion in the end,” said Kazuko Fukuda, a reproductive rights activist who supports Nandenaino (Why don`t we have it?) Project, a contraceptive advocacy group. Japan is one of 11 countries — and the only one in the group of seven largest economies — that require women to obtain their spouse`s consent to obtain an abortion, with few exceptions, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, an international organization. In practice, proponents say, the requirement often applies to single women and has led to rare and tragic cases where women let their babies die in public places — something the baby component at Jikei Hospital is supposed to solve. “When I go to politicians to talk [about reproductive rights], they sometimes ask me, `Why are you talking about contraception when we have so few babies?` That`s not the point.
Nevertheless, I think things about reproduction are always thought of in the context of national profit, rather than women`s choice,” said Fukuda, the activist. “The discussion should really revolve around creating a social system that can further support these women and destigmatize women`s access to abortion.” Abortion: Having an abortion (abortion). In Japan, where abortion is relatively accessible, it is rarely a political issue as in other countries. Nevertheless, there are various problems that women face when they decide to have an abortion. “People who try to have an abortion are often ashamed, so they feel like they are not really able to claim rights, whether to reduce costs or other forms of accessibility,” Hasura said. “And because these people don`t really raise their voices, it`s hard for issues like this to become real problems like in the United States.” Abortions are legal, but only with expensive surgery. Contraceptive use is low. Morning-after pills are expensive and are only available by prescription. Japan is debating whether it should provide abortion pills.