‘Hungry ghost in saffron robe’: Thai monk faces online backlash over abortion rights stance
- LGBT-supporting Buddhist says he was called ‘hungry ghost in saffron robe’ after holding sign that read, ‘Stop Condemning Abortion’
- His protest came after parliament passed law allowing abortion in first trimester, which abortion-rights activists said didn’t go far enough
A Buddhist monk known for his support for LGBT+ rights has sparked outrage among conservatives after he called for Thailand to decriminalise abortion.
Phra Shine Waradhammo was among about 20 pro-choice activists who protested in front of the Thai parliament this week, calling for all penalties to be revoked for women who choose to terminate a pregnancy.
“Even when I spoke about LGBT+ issues a decade ago, I didn’t receive as much criticism, probably because people see [abortion] as murder,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Abortion is opposed by many of Thailand’s conservative Theravada Buddhism majority, who believe it goes directly against Buddhist teachings and that women who undergo a termination will be haunted by a ghost.
But on Monday, Thai lawmakers voted in favour of allowing abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy while retaining penalties for later terminations – a move pro-choice advocates said fell short of protecting the rights of the mother.
Under the amendment to an existing law, an abortion after 12 weeks would be allowed only in certain conditions and would otherwise be punishable by up to six months in prison, or a fine of up to 10,000 baht (US$334) or both.