Jakarta – Women's rights activists protested against the new health law Wednesday, which they say does not accommodate the rights of unmarried people to reproductive health services such as abortion.
The protesters were members of the Network of the Pro-Women's National Legislation Program (JKP3), an association of various NGOs, including the Women's Health Foundation (YKP), the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH APIK) and the Mitra Perempuan Women's Crisis Center.
They also criticized the law, which was endorsed by the House of Representatives on Monday, for its failure to properly deal with the issue of illegal abortion.
"We will likely ask for a judicial review with the Constitutional Court regarding some discriminatory articles", said Zumrotin, the deputy chairwoman of the YKP. She added the JKP3 would also scrutinize the government's regulations to implement the law.
Among the controversial articles is Article 72, which stipulates that: "Everyone has the right to a healthy and safe reproductive and sexual life, free from force and/or violence, with his or her lawful spouse".
It means the law only protects legally married couples, according to Ratna Batara Munti, the coordinator of the JKP3. Marginalized groups such as unregistered married people, sexually active unmarried people, sex workers, homosexuals and transsexuals, are protected by the law, she said.
"The government will not provide reproductive health services for them," said Ratna.
Ratna said the JKP3 had demanded that reproductive health services must be provided to anyone, regardless of their race, religion or sexual orientation.
"Yet, when we talked to lawmakers about non-discriminatory health services, they said they had intentionally drafted the article to eradicate prostitution and the behavior of people with non-normative sexualities," she said.
She said the lawmakers used religion as the basis for the controversial article. "Why did they relate the right to health with religion? Would lawmakers prefer that people within these groups died?" she said.
Zumrotin said that sex workers, homosexuals and transsexuals were currently discriminated against by many health officials. "Now, the law even legalizes discrimination against them," she said.
The JKP3 also urged for a revision of articles on abortion. The also law stipulates that only women whose lives are in danger, or those that have been raped can legally have an abortion.
"This does not solve the problem of unsafe abortions that have already claimed many lives. With such stipulations, many women will keep having unsafe abortion," said YKP chairwoman Ninuk Widyantoro
Ninuk said that Indonesia still had the highest mother mortality rate among countries in South East Asia. "I believe that many of these deaths were caused by unsafe abortion methods," she said.
Ninuk said there were various reasons that women might have an abortion. "Women that have abortions are not only sexually active teenagers that get pregnant. YPK research shows that many married women seek abortions if they fall pregnant at high-risk age or their economic situation cannot support a baby," she said.
Kartono Muhammad, a doctor and member of the YPK, said that abortion was not the only way for women to deal with unwanted pregnancies.
"Women with unwanted pregnancies could put their babies up for adoption. If abortion is forbidden in this country, than the government must create an institution to take care of babies being put up for adoption," he said.
According to government data, in 2008, the mother mortality rate was about 226 deaths in every 100,000 births. In 2000, that rate reached 307 deaths in every 100,000 births.
"However, the Asian Development Bank reported in 2009 that the rate increased to 420 deaths in every 100,000 births," said Ninuk. (mrs)