Agnes, a 40-year-old, is a living martyr of a tragic abortion procedure conducted by an inexperienced doctor. She is from a well-to-do family in Kottayam, the only sister to three brothers. Soon after graduation, her family started planning her marriage. Her father was very determined to give his daughter to a well-educated boy at the earliest. Many proposals came up, as she hailed from a wealthy family. Eventually, she got married to a young man from Ranni, who was working overseas in the Middle East.

The groom, who had been on vacation for a month and a half, returned to work on the tenth day of marriage. However, he promised her that he would be back within a year and would take her along with him. The young couple kept in touch with each other through daily phone calls.
As days passed by, to her surprise, Agnes realised that soon she was going to be a mother! Overjoyed, she conveyed the good news to her husband. However, to her dismay, he did not share the same excitement and told her that he didn’t want a child so soon and that they could plan an addition to their family once Agnes joined him. Agnes was shocked and said sternly that she would not destroy the baby at any cost. Infuriated, he hung up the call; but called back the next day, only to make the same demand. Agnes kept on denying him politely.

The number of daily calls between the couple reduced to two or three in a week and each time they spoke, her husband insisted on conducting an abortion. Agnes did not have the courage to inform her parents or in laws about the situation. After three months of continuous pestering by her husband, she eventually decided to give into his wish. She was forced to take that painful decision as she thought that her marriage was on the verge of breaking up under the circumstances. She asked her husband as how to convey the message to both the families, to which he mercilessly replied that she can inform them that she had a miscarriage.

With the help of her husband's nephew, she approached a private clinic for abortion. The doctor informed them that a normal abortion with drugs and medicine could not be performed as the baby was already four months old. Hence, a D&C procedure was decided and performed upon. That was the darkest day in the life of Agnes; her entire life was going to be shattered thereafter.

Her uterus was fatally wounded during the procedure as the doctor was not familiar with the D&C procedure at all. As a result, he had to perform an emergency operation to remove the uterus in order to stop the severe bleeding. Her family had to be alerted at once and were asked to rush to the Clinic. The parents were shocked to find their daughter unconscious in the Clinic, as the nephew narrated the entire chain of events to them.

In a fit of rage, her father made a phone call to the son-in-law. Their conversation turned out into a heated argument which unfortunately ended up as an irreconcilable dispute between the two families. Her married life was affected adversely and Agnes was unable to handle the pressure of daily arguments between the two families.

Ultimately, her husband demanded a divorce from her and this time again, Agnes gave in to his demands without expressing much resistance. No sooner, he got married again and flew back with his new wife to start a new life.

For Agnes though, another marriage was unthinkable as nobody would marry a woman who was not able to conceive. She entered a married life with dreams just like any other ordinary girl. The unfortunate events in her life had left her staring into oblivion. After her father’s death seven years back, she looks for comfort from her elderly mother and siblings.

There are many women who lost their uterus or sustained serious injuries to other organs due to illegal abortion procedures by an inexperienced doctor. Medical journals show that women who undergo abortion have a variety of issues, both physical and psychological. Unsafe abortion procedures not only have serious consequences but also significantly affect women’s health. It gives rise to many adverse effects such as anaemia, gastrointestinal diseases, infertility, and even death.

It is estimated that 13% of maternal deaths worldwide are due to complications from abortion. About 47,000 mothers around the world die each year due to unsafe abortions. Five million women have to be hospitalised due to various physical and psychological issues.

Over a period of time, even though the effect of psychological trauma fades, physical issues persist. After an abortion, a woman's body undergoes many changes. Some of these are very dangerous. Four major physical issues seen after an abortion are:

1. Heavy bleeding
Though not common in all cases, at times, severe bleeding, blood clots, and browning may last for up to four weeks. Injuries to the uterus can be the cause of these large clots of blood.

2. Unbearable pain

The uterus enlarges during pregnancy and returns to its natural state after a normal delivery. But after an abortion, this process takes a longer time. Slight tingling and pain are experienced during this time. The pain is more severe than what occurs during menstruation. Many people are forced to rely on painkillers to relieve the pain. Frequent consumption of these painkillers will in turn lead to more health issues, including kidney related diseases.

3. Infection

The cervix is exposed after abortion, leading to infections. This can lead to complications during intercourse and such situations may adversely affect marital relationships.

4. Pregnancy like symptoms

Some people experience abnormalities after an abortion, quite similar to the ones that are experienced during a pregnancy. Nausea and vomiting sometimes lasts for months. Some people face Chronic fever. Women tend to put on weight and experience dizziness.

Abortions performed by inexperienced doctors often result in fatal injuries and even threaten the life of the mother. In rare cases, even medical students who are in House Surgeoncy, perform abortions illegally in medical colleges. The main victims of such abortions are those who become pregnant through illicit relationships.

Agnes lost her life due to a forced and unsafe abortion procedure. The story of Fatima, a representative of 'young mothers in the campus' is quite shocking. A girl who bid goodbye to her life at the tender age of 20..more on this in the next edition.

Note : Original names in this series have been altered to maintain the privacy of those involved.

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