I am thinking about numbers today.
The headline figure for the projected future population of Singapore is 6.9 million. Might as well call it 7 million of anyone who has even read a bit about how consumer behaviour is driven by a detergent that costs $6.99 versus $7.00.
Without reading the rest of the Population White Paper that the SG government has put out, 7 million seems like a LOT of people on my little red dot of an island.
In the light of the recent SGD 2billion parenthood incentive package, there is another figure that I ask you to consider: 11,933 (2007 figures). This represents the number of abortions in Singapore.
Compare this to the ~30,000 births that Singapore had in 2011.
All of us have different views in the pro-life vs pro-choice debate.
Corrinne May, a Singaporean song writer based in Los Angeles, USA, started a discussion thread linking the 6.9 million and 11,933. Her graceful and lucid replies leave me amazed.......
Look for "Corrinne May" on Facebook. Her status that triggered the debate was
The headline figure for the projected future population of Singapore is 6.9 million. Might as well call it 7 million of anyone who has even read a bit about how consumer behaviour is driven by a detergent that costs $6.99 versus $7.00.
Without reading the rest of the Population White Paper that the SG government has put out, 7 million seems like a LOT of people on my little red dot of an island.
In the light of the recent SGD 2billion parenthood incentive package, there is another figure that I ask you to consider: 11,933 (2007 figures). This represents the number of abortions in Singapore.
Compare this to the ~30,000 births that Singapore had in 2011.
All of us have different views in the pro-life vs pro-choice debate.
Corrinne May, a Singaporean song writer based in Los Angeles, USA, started a discussion thread linking the 6.9 million and 11,933. Her graceful and lucid replies leave me amazed.......
Look for "Corrinne May" on Facebook. Her status that triggered the debate was
"If the Singapore government is looking at increasing the population of Singapore and increasing the dismal birthrate, they should take a good look at the abortion laws in Singapore.
In 2007, The Singapore Health Ministry recorded 11,933 a...bortions. That's 11,933 babies that Singapore could have had. The irony is that only Singaporeans or PRs can have an abortion in Singapore. Foreigners are not allowed to do so.
And I still can't believe that parental consent is not required for minors to have an abortion. The irony is that parental consent is required for BCG vaccinations in primary school, but a 12 year old doesn't need one for an abortion, which carries so many more health risks?
Abortion was legalized in Singapore in 1970. Prior to that it was a criminal offence. That change in the law unfortunately went hand in hand with Singapore's population control policies of the 70's, and my generation remembers the slogan often touted in the media at that time, ie. "Two is Enough".
Now the situation is drastically different and Singapore desperately needs more babies. We should look at ways to help more women keep their unborn babies and not abort them. Since Singaporeans often pick up new habits through educational campaigns (think of the 'courtesy campaign' for eg., and the 'please flush the loo' campaign) There needs to be some educational directive that helps women understand how precious every life is. And I'm not kidding when I say that we should start an 'Every Baby is Precious' campaign."
In 2007, The Singapore Health Ministry recorded 11,933 a...bortions. That's 11,933 babies that Singapore could have had. The irony is that only Singaporeans or PRs can have an abortion in Singapore. Foreigners are not allowed to do so.
And I still can't believe that parental consent is not required for minors to have an abortion. The irony is that parental consent is required for BCG vaccinations in primary school, but a 12 year old doesn't need one for an abortion, which carries so many more health risks?
Abortion was legalized in Singapore in 1970. Prior to that it was a criminal offence. That change in the law unfortunately went hand in hand with Singapore's population control policies of the 70's, and my generation remembers the slogan often touted in the media at that time, ie. "Two is Enough".
Now the situation is drastically different and Singapore desperately needs more babies. We should look at ways to help more women keep their unborn babies and not abort them. Since Singaporeans often pick up new habits through educational campaigns (think of the 'courtesy campaign' for eg., and the 'please flush the loo' campaign) There needs to be some educational directive that helps women understand how precious every life is. And I'm not kidding when I say that we should start an 'Every Baby is Precious' campaign."
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