Abortion in Asia

Andrea Whittaker is Associate Professor in the School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Australia. Her previous publications include Intimate Knowledge: Women and their health in North-east Thailand (2000), Women’s Health in South-east Asia (edited, 2002) and Abortion, Sin, and the State in Thailand (2004). Her current research interests focus on infertility and reproductive tourism and medical travel in Thailand and the region.

“[This book] makes an empirically rich and important contribution to social scientific scholarship on induced abortion practices and will hopefully inspire further studies.”  ·  Social Anthropology/Anthropologie sociale“…although there is a wealth of commonalities, these papers present the context as crucial. The contributors make good use of women’s personal stories to invigorate the discussion of the many dilemmas. The women’s stories also demonstrate the extent to which local initiatives may be compromised by global influences, as exemplified by short sighted religious campaigns and the resulting donor/aid restrictions. The contributors’ focus on Asia actually makes this book more applicable, even germane, to women’s health care internationally.” · The Practicing Midwife“This book is a comprehensive volume on abortion in South and Southeast Asia. Readers will benefit from this informative volume in gaining a bird’s eye view of the heated debate and local realities in these regions.”  ·  Asian Anthropology“The contributions make it a significantly important reference book for the areas of politics of reproduction, gender, and development, as well as gender, culture, and health. It would be particularly useful in medical anthropology in public health, anthropology and reproductive health, as well as gender and health courses.”  ·  Medical Anthropology Quarterly“Abortion in Asia offers rich insight into abortion policies and women’s reproductive-health experiences in Asia’s developing countries… Scholars interested in gender, reproductive health, abortion, and policies concerning these topics will find [this book] relevant, as will advocates, NGO workers, and policymakers. [It]provides useful insights for practitioners and advocates of safe and accessible abortion provision. Chapters on political processes aiming at legal reforms and policy implementation will be particularly useful for political scientists and advocates working toward the advancement of abortion rights in a variety of settings.”  ·  Studies in Family Planning“The book aims to spark a dialogue between academics and advocates, and between anthropology and public health.”  ·  IIAS (International Institute for Asian Studies) Newsletter

• List of Tables and FiguresList of AppendicesAcknowledgementsList of ContributorsChapter 1: Abortion in Asia: an overviewAndrea WhittakerChapter 2: Contraceptive use and unsafe abortion in rural CambodiaElizabeth Hoban, Tung Rathavy and Phirun LamChapter 3: Between remembering and forgetting: Post-diagnostic abortions in Hanoi, VietnamTine M. Gammeltoft Chapter 4: Violence, Poverty and ‘Weakness’- Interpersonal and institutional reasons why Burmese women on the Thai border utilise abortionSuzanne Belton Chapter 5: Quality of care and pregnancy terminations for adolescent women in urban slums, BangladeshSabina Faiz RashidChapter 6: Choosing abortion providers in rural Tamil Nadu: Balancing costs and quality of careLakshmi Ramachandar and Pertti J PeltoChapter 7: Abortion in Vietnam: History, culture and politics collide in the era of doi moiMerrill Wolf, Phan Bich Thuy, Alyson Hyman and Amanda HuberChapter 8: Abortion and politics in IndonesiaTerence H Hull and Ninuk WidyantoroChapter 9: Barriers to access to abortion services in Malaysia: Misinformation and stigmaRashidah Abdullah and Yut-Lin WongChapter 10: Improving access to safe termination of pregnancy in Thailand: An analysis of the policy development during 1999 to 2006Nongluk Boonthai, Sripen Tantivess, Viroj Tangcharoensathien and Kamheang ChaturachindaChapter 11: Epilogue: Further challengesAndrea Whittaker GlossaryIndex