Jasmine Stole Weiss | Pacific Daily News

Wochit

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For years there were two doctors who performed abortions on Guam. One retired in 2016; the second doctor retired last month, leaving the island without any physicians who will perform abortions.

The lack of abortion providers on island may force women to go to great lengths or go through great risk to terminate unwanted pregnancies, according to attorney Anita Arriola, a longtime advocate for abortion rights.

Guam law currently allows for abortions as late as 26 weeks into the pregnancy, provided the unborn child has a grave physical or mental defect or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Abortions are allowed at any point in a pregnancy if the mother’s life is in danger or if the pregnancy would gravely impair her physical or mental health.

There are no restrictions under current law for a woman to have an abortion on Guam within the first 13 weeks of pregnancy.

Doctor retires

Since late 2016, Dr. William Freeman at the Women's Clinic had been the island's only abortion provider.

Dr. Jeffrey Gabel, who’s been practicing in Guam for about 10 years, said he took over the Women’s Clinic effective June 1. Gabel said he doesn’t conduct abortions and he doesn’t support abortions made at will.

“I’m pro-life,” Gabel said.

Gabel, an obstetrician and gynecologist, said within about a week or two after he took over, word got around fairly quickly that Freeman had retired and Gabel had taken over. Gabel said he worked under Freeman but hadn't performed abortions.

“I’ve always been against it,” he said.

The Women’s Clinic is now “Dr. Gabel’s Clinic Obstetrics & Gynecology Para Famalao’an.”

Chloe B. Babauta/PDN

Though Freeman retired on May 31, he's still licensed to practice, according to Gabel. But any future patients Freeman takes will be for infertility services, Gabel said, adding that he and Freeman agreed Freeman could use Gabel’s clinic.

The only other physician who previously conducted abortions on island was Dr. Edmund Griley, who operated out of the Guam PolyClinic on Ypao Road.

Griley retired Nov. 30, 2016. Advertisements placed in the Pacific Daily News in the months prior to Griley’s retirement called on patients to pick up their files.

Dr. John Chiu now operates out of the Poly Clinic on Ypao Road. But he doesn’t perform abortions, according to his receptionist, Ana Benitez.

Chloe B. Babauta/PDN

No abortions offered

Guam Memorial Hospital doesn’t conduct abortions as an elective procedure, according to Dr. Faye Jensen, chair of the Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology.

“The GMHA does not refer clients to other entities. If a client presents at the ER for an abortion, they are informed that it is not offered as an elective procedure,” said Mark Guayco, acting Emergency Department Hospital Unit supervisor.

Guam Regional Medical City’s physicians also don’t perform abortions and GRMC doesn’t provide referrals, said Cindy Hanson, communications and social media specialist for the hospital.

Leo Casil, acting director of the Department of Public Health and Social Services, said his agency doesn’t refer clients or patients for abortion services.

Regarding Freeman’s retirement, Casil said in an email, “As far as I know there are no other physicians who conduct abortions.”

Casil said he doesn’t view the lack of physicians conducting abortions on island as an issue for his agency.

“No this would not be a concern for (Public Health0,” he said. “Abortions in emergency situations are decided by a physician. ... I see no impact on Public Health on the limited or no availability.”

FHP Health Center doesn’t offer abortion services, according to Maria Hernandez, TakeCare/FHP marketing specialist.

The Center for Women’s Health also doesn’t perform abortions, said David Underwood, business manager.

Calls made to the American Medical Center and Sagua Mañagu weren’t answered as of Friday evening.

Guam abortion law

in 1990, Guam passed a law prohibiting abortions on island. Arriola was one of the attorneys in the landmark court case that challenged that law and eventually led to the overturning of the measure.

In the 1990s, Arriola recalled women traveling to the Philippines to get abortions. These were done illegally, because in the Philippines abortions are outlawed.

Without a physician on Guam to perform abortions, women with the resources will likely travel off-island for illegal or legal abortions, Arriola said. But not many women have those resources, the attorney added.

Regionally, there aren’t many options available for women seeking abortions. Abortions are outlawed in the Philippines and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Arriola said abortions in Japan can be done under limited circumstances.

According to a United Nations summary, abortions in Japan can be done when the woman’s health is at risk or if the pregnancy was the result of a rape.

Singapore allows abortions up to 24 weeks into the pregnancy but it’s limited to citizens of the country, wives of Singapore citizens and women who have lived there for at least four months, according to the law.

Arriola said another option would be to go to Hawaii.

Abortion reporting

In 2017, there were 239 abortions done on Guam, according to Public Health data. Of those 239 procedures, 237 were done at the Women’s Clinic. The remaining two were done at the Women’s Clinic and the Guam Memorial Hospital's labor room, the data shows. All but three of the abortions were voluntary.

Most women who had abortions in 2017 were single, in college or had graduated college and hadn’t had an abortion before, the data shows. More than half were between 18 and 27 years old.

A recently released study by the World Health Organization and Guttmacher Institute found that in countries that banned abortions or allowed them only to save a woman’s life or preserve her health, most abortions in those countries were unsafe.

“Restricting access to abortions does not reduce the number of abortions,” the June 2018 WHO article stated.

While the local law allows abortions in Guam, Arriola said the reporting requirements restrict physicians.

“Our legislators and governor created an environment that has driven legal abortion providers away from Guam and they’re setting up a system where women will perform their own abortions or travel at great lengths and great risk to get legal or illegal abortions,” Arriola said.“The lives and health of women are going to continue to be in danger so long as we don’t have legal abortions performed here in Guam."

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