Printed from The Straits Times Interactive

OCT 24 2000

RU-486 gives women choice

I REFER to Dr Hui Keem Peng's letter, ""No to RU-486, yes to sex education'' (ST, Oct 21).

Reading his conclusion on how RU-486, together with contraceptives in general, will do injustice to women puzzles me.

I have always thought that it is usually the women who are fighting for their right to have an abortion. Legalising abortion will allow them to have a choice on how to deal with their own bodies. In this respect, I believe the introduction of RU-486 will be a victory for pro-choice supporters.

It is, of course, true that no contraceptive is 100 per cent effective. The taking of RU-486 will thus complement the existing use of contraceptives by Singaporeans.

For example, if a couple practise safe sex by using a condom, and later the woman still becomes pregnant despite using the condom, perhaps doctors might prescribe RU-486 as an alternative to going through the current abortion procedure.

It is thus important for Singaporeans to be clear that RU-486 is not an alternative to the proper use of contraceptives designed to prevent life from being created. RU-486 needs a doctor's prescription and cannot be bought over the counter.

Nevertheless, this letter is not arguing whether we should be pro-life or pro-choice. I was particularly disturbed by Dr Hui's remarks about ""how our fertility rate has dropped precipitously since the introduction of contraception just over 30 years ago''.

With so many policies being introduced 30 years ago, such as tax incentives for voluntary sterilisation, disincentives for primary-school registration for the third and fourth child and so on, it seems unfair to blame the use of contraceptives for our falling birthrate. To me, that remark by Dr Hui seems akin to blaming the knife, or the maker of the knife, because somebody uses it to stab another person.

While I support his stand that attitudes towards women should change in Singapore, it seems to me that we should start by educating the male Singaporean. Trying to simplify the issue by blaming it on the use of contraceptives seems to be an attempt to make the issue simpler than what it really is.

KELVIN TAN TUAN WEI

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