Online Abortion

I read in the Sunday paper a week ago about a special documentary GMA 7 will be airing in one of its late night shows. The short article was actually a summary of what will be tackled in the documentary.

The article said that there are “doctors” who have “online clinics” which sell abortifacients and accept appointments for abortion. Prospective patients would select their preferred schedule, and then they will be told where to go. Usually, the patients will be instructed to go to an inconspicuous place, without any signage or any indication that would give it away as a clinic, let alone an abortion clinic. It added that services offered do not end there; there are sites which entertain questions on abortion procedure, and even sites which will actually assist in the abortion.

To buttress this claim, the article said the anchor who would present the documentary would be following a young couple, using a hidden camera to record the transaction. The article said that the couple made the appointment online, and afterwards they were told to go to a certain place somewhere in Tondo. The “building” located in the address given is run-down and is being occupied by several families. It was a squatter area. The article did not disclose, though, whether it followed the couple throughout the whole process (I think at this point law enforcement officers will be involved already). I wasn’t able to watch the documentary either.

The point is, the internet is not only being used to facilitate communication and business transactions, among other benefits, but is also being taken advantage of by others as a convenient means to commit something illegal (in the Philippines, at least).

I was initially aghast while reading the first few sentences of the article. But then I realized, the internet is a vast source of information; you can find almost anything you want and need. You just have to be good at looking for it.