Saudi Gazette report

 

RIYADH — It will not cost a pregnant woman more than SR3,000 and a message on the Twitter to get rid of her pregnancy in 24 hours, according to a report in Makkah daily.



The report said the female medical doctors will give a pregnant woman a maximum of six pills to get rid of the fetus in its infancy.



According to a female online medical doctor, the price of a pill is SR500 and a pregnant woman does not need more than six tablets for her abortion. She said she was relying on a fatwa (religious edict) permitting abortion if the fetus is still lifeless or that the pregnancy is less than four months.



The female doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she will not ask her client about her marriage contract or the reason for the abortion. "I am only concerned with the date of her pregnancy to decide how many pills she needs," she said.



She said when she decides the number of pills, she asks the pregnant woman to deposit the charges for the pills in her bank account.



"The moment I receive a message from the bank that the price of the pills has been deposited in my account, I will immediately deliver the tablets to my client and follow up her case until she gets rid of her pregnancy," she said.



The female doctor refused to disclose the name of the pill but said it is manufactured especially for abortion and are imported from Britain. She claims that the pill has no side effects.



She, however, warned that bleeding may continue for a few days after the abortion. But it will not have any serious implications on the patient. A number of gynecologists said the pills will lead to abortion as they will cause strong stomach contractions.



Dr. Saleh Al-Shihri, a consultant gynecologist at King Fahd Military Hospital in Jeddah, said there is a well known medicine which is used for the treatment of the ulcer and can at the same time cause abortion because it will open the cervix. He did not name the medicine but said many gynecologists use it in the delivery operations.



He, however, warned that if it was used without close medical supervision, the medicine might destroy the womb.



"It may also lead to death due to continuous bleeding," he said. A woman, who refused to reveal her identity, said she obtained the medicine from a grocery to get rid of her pregnancy from her legitimate husband. "I got rid of my pregnancy but I am now paying a high price to regain my fertility in order to be able to become pregnant again," she said.



The Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) denied responsibility for selling of the abortive medicine on the Internet. It said it has no say on the web content.



"This is the responsibility of the Saudi Food and Drugs Authority (SFDA)," an CITC employee said. He did not want his name to be published.