Dr Musa Nordin and Dr Johari Bux have issued a firm rebuttal to an earlier duo who claimed that those who opposed the controversial amendments to Terengganu’s syariah code were doing so under the influence of “morally bankrupt” Western culture.
Musa, who is Malaysian Paediatric Association (MPA) treasurer, and Johari, a former president and trustee of the Obstetrical and Gynecological Society of Malaysia (OGSM), were less than impressed by the arguments put forth by Dr Mohamed Hatta Mohamed Tarmizi, vice-president of I-Medik and Dr Murizah Mohd Zain, both of whom are gynaecologists.
“We appreciate the tazkirah (reminders) of our Muslim colleagues not to ape the ‘morally bankrupt’ narrative of the occidental civilization.
“But the trajectory of their moralising which suggests that we are subtly promoting premarital sex is irresponsible, outrageous and offensive.
“There is a world of difference between the philosophy of harm reduction in public health interventions and their blatant accusation of encouraging promiscuity in our younger generation,” said Musa and Johari in a statement.
They quoted research on teenage pregnancy in Malaysia from 2000-2014 which recorded 19,000 births each year between 2009 and 2011, many of these births were from unwed pregnancies.
“Between 2017 and 2022, 41,083 teen pregnancies were recorded by the Health Ministry. Of these teen pregnancies, 4,561 cases (35 percent) were out of wedlock,” said Musa and Johari.
They pointed out that teenage mothers had higher incidences of maternal anaemia, premature rupture of membranes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, infections, emergency cesarean sections, obstructed labour, postpartum depression, low birth weight babies, prematurity, and inadequate breastfeeding initiation.
“Aside from this basket of medical complications, there are real risks of unwanted pregnancy, unsafe, illegal abortions, sexually transmitted infections STI/HIV/AIDS, and baby dumping.
“Thus the various ministries and agencies have begun to implement carefully crafted interventions and preventive programs on life experiences and reproductive health to inform and create better awareness among adolescents, families, and the community.
“This is most certainly a very sensitive and taboo subject which must be handled with due care. We cannot sweep these scary happenings affecting our children under the carpet and this rhetoric is not going to solve anything.”
Fine, jail for pregnancy, birthing out of wedlock
On De 1, the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly passed an amendment to the Syariah Criminal Offences (Punishments) Enactment 2022 to strengthen the implementation of Syariah law in the state, which includes the addition of four new sections, among others.
The four new sections include offences for Section 3A (witchcraft and black magic), 29A (pregnancy or giving birth out of wedlock), 33A (women acting as men), and 36A (in preparation of sodomy) (persediaan melakukan liwat).
Under Section 29A, it states that Muslim women found guilty of out-of-wedlock pregnancy and childbirth will be liable for a fine not exceeding RM3,000, imprisonment up to two years, or both.
In defending the amendments, Hatta and Muzirah said that this was the consequence of separating law from morality, calling it a post-colonial reality.
“An effective system to regulate society cannot separate law from morality and that is the nature of the true Syariah, a form of governance which is efficient, communally based, socially embedded, and a bottom-up method of control which renders it remarkably efficient in commanding willing obedience and less coercive than any state-enforced law,” they said.
They went on to criticise comprehensive sexual education saying “it portrays sex outside of marriage as a valid lifestyle choice (and) is obviously a form of ontological imperialism being sold to us in a Trojan horse of ‘universal human rights’.
“The West is a morally bankrupt ‘civilisation’ as is very plain to see from the destruction of their family structure, the basic building block of a healthy society,” they said.
Love, compassion, mercy
Musa and Johari dismissed this, saying that the motives of MPA and the OGSM, who cares daily for women, mothers, babies, and teenagers, is to beseech not just Terengganu, but all the state religious councils to show love, compassion, and mercy to the “failings and mistakes” of the young mother and father and to prevent dire consequences to the foetus and newborn baby.
“The overarching objective of the harm reduction approach is to prevent the negative consequences of teenage pregnancies and improve both the short and long-term health outcomes of the mother, baby, and the new family.
“Harm reduction within the context of healthcare embraces the principles of human dignity, being flexible and practical, respect of individual autonomy, gradual advocacy for change, and being accountable,” said Musa and Johari.
They said that prevention through reproductive health education is the most cost-effective approach.
“Serious problems are costly and very difficult to solve once manifest. The adverse consequences of poor reproductive health and the benefits of good reproductive health extend well beyond health and have an impact at the societal level.
“30 studies on the impact of global reproductive health education programmes showed a 53 percent reduction in risk-taking behaviour,” they added. - Mkini
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