john@rarebooksinjapan.com wrote:
> Rind wrote:
>
> >I was wondering has anyone in this group every researched this topic
> >for a college project or anything. I know that abortion exists in
> >Japan, but I was wondering
>
> Have you tried googling? No wish to disparage the people who've replied
> to you so far, but a lot of what I've read here doesn't ring true for
> me, and I got much more informative insights (that corresponded quite
> well with things I'd read or heard previously) just by doing an exact
> phrase search for "abortion in Japan".
>
> The first dozen sites contain some apparent contradictions. For
> example, one site says that "Counselling is not provided, nor is it
> assumed that you will suffer any kind of moral dilemma", while others
> go into great detail about "a set of [Buddhistic] practices dating from
> the 17th century to help women deal with the anguish and sadness
> surrounding the deaths of fetuses and young children, whether from
> miscarriages, stillbirths, infancy deaths or abortions". But what that
> really boils down to, I think, is that in Japan Buddhism caters to a
> wide range of psychological and spiritual needs, whereas medical
> counselling in general is much less developed than in the West.
>
> >is there any stigma attached to it
>
> Not all that much, from what I've heard, and most of the websites I
> checked confirmed that. For example:
>
> "Unlike in America...there has never been a taboo against abortion in
> Japan"
> (http://www2.gol.com/users/coynerhm/japan_oks_viagra_in_record_time.htm)
>
> One theory mentioned on several websites was that the doctors who
> provide the abortions make a lot of money out of it, and have fostered
> an attitude of regarding it as a form of birth control. The pill was
> actually illegal for years, and is still much less used than in the
> West. Even Japanese feminists have sometimes opposed it, arguing that
> it not only puts the onus of responsibility onto the woman but also
> exposes her to potential health risks.
>
> > are Japanese on the by and large pro-life or pro-choice
>
> One scholarly study I googled up said the number of people who improved
> unconditionally of abortion had risen steadily since the 1970s, and was
> 23% in 2000, with 60% giving conditional approval.(Google for
> "Contraceptive Use and Induced Abortion in Japan" to find this
> article.)
>
> > do Japanese people frown upon married women having abortions
>
> I don't think so. Condoms remain the main form of contraception in
> Japan (used by about 80% of couples), and the fact that they don't
> always work properly apparently accounts in large part for the fact
> that about one third of pregnancies are "mistimed" (see the link I gave
> above; although its main topic is the use of Viagra it gives a pretty
> good run-down of sexual politics in Japan, including the issue of
> abortion). Many of those unwanted pregnancies happen to couples who are
> planning to have a child further down the line, but just aren't ready
> yet.
>
> There's probably no country where more preparation is needed (or is
> perceived to be needed) for the successful raising of children than
> Japan. Cost is a big factor. So is the fact that many company employees
> are subject to being sent to work hundreds of miles away from their
> families, sometimes for years at a stretch. But people will even plan
> live changes, such as moving to an area that has a particularly
> prestigious school that they hope their child will be able to go to.
>
> All of these things combine to produce a fairly pragmatic attitude
> towards abortion among most people, and the abortion rate continues to
> be high. 350,000 a year was the first figure I googled up, then
> 410,000, then an estimate by the Asia/Pacific Research Center that the
> actual number of abortions is two to three times the "official" number
> (which would put it at around 1,000,000). A more reasonable estimate is
> that perhaps 100,000 abortions a year go unreported, and the actual
> total (official and unofficial) may be around half a million a year.
>
> >The Japanese boyfriend of my Irish friend apparently said that in Japan
> >its believed that women who terminate pregnancies NEVER want children
> >.... mmmm!?!
> >He went on to say that the reason they believe that is because by
> >having a termination you are telling your body to reject pregnancy now
> >and in the future.
>
> I think this is a minority view. I won't go so far as to say it's
> baloney, but it may be (insisting that X, Y or Z is a cultural
> imperative is a good way of getting one's own way in intercultural
> relationships!).
>
> John
> http://rarebooksinjapan.com

That was a great help John, thanks. And thanks to
everyone for their comments to date. It would appear that the jboy in
question, thinks differently than "general" Japanese society. I suppose
each case is unique and differences in thinking within a couple, be
they cultural or otherwise, are even more apparent at a time of
distress, such as an unplanned pregnancy.