Few Qs about Abortion

Me and my husband have decided to have the MTP done.
I have few questions regarding the abortion though.
1)Is is legal in Japam?
2)Where should I go for getting abortion done?
3)How much will it cost(Approx)
4)And do they need any kind of permission letter or something from my husband since he will be going out of Japan for next 2 months and will not accompany me then.
5)And last is it covered in my Insurance?(I guess not)
6)And does anyone know any such clinic with/ without English speaking staff in Tokyo?
Any help appreciated.

Here is thread in Japanese about the abortion, you can read and find all the information yourself:

http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail...

To be honest, I do not understand why you still wanna have an abortion if you have husband... Maybe you should thing twice before doing such a serious step, which will affect all your future life?

Well, it`s your life and you are the one who decides!

I wish you to make a right choice.

http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+9...

1) Yes, as long as it is performed within the allowed number of weeks.
2) See Uco-san's post in the above thread. Any gynecologist or obstetrician
3) I've heard figures range, but 100,000 - 300,000, depending on the hospital and also on the number of weeks into pregnancy.
4) I believe they need consent (written) from both you and your husband.
5) No, not covered by national insurance, if that's what you mean.
6) If you need English speaking staff, please look at the website on US Embassy in Japan. They have some informarion on general hospitals.

Take care.

As to 1):
Designated doctors are allowed to perform abortion operation, under some conditions, by •ê‘Ì•ÛŒì–@ (literally: Mother's Body Protection Act; revised and renamed from —D�¶•ÛŒì–@ in 1996).
- The operation is performed at the time when the unborn child could not sustain life outside the mother's body.
- Childbirth or continuation of pregnancy is likely to severely damage the health of the mother's body for physical or economic reasons.
- The person and her partner agree to the abortion operation. (When the partner is unknown or can not show his will, his agreement is not required.)
In each prefecture, there is a medical association and it designates doctors to perform abortion operation.

Some prefectural governments open windows / phone lines for counseling in English. If you are in an urban area, I guess there are many such designated doctors.
I hope you can soon consult a municipal health center (•ÛŒ’�Š [hoken-jo]) or a clinic of a designated doctor (Žw’èˆã [shitei-i ]), saying like "My partner and I talked over and decided to abort" (In Japanese: "Kare to hanashi-atte chuuzetsu o kime-mashita") and the staffer will understand you.
In Japanese, the terms differ to mean abortion depending whether it's legal or not. The term for a legal abortion is ”D�P [ninshin] ’†�â [chuuzetsu] (pronounced like chew-zets). ”D�P means pregnancy. ’†�â is seldom used for another word or in another meaning.

As to 4):
The partner's duty to accompany is not stated by this Act. This Act neither says "written agreement" but I guess that it's better, if possible, for your husband to make a paper in advance saying he agrees to a legal abortion operation on you (not just "abortion"), specifying his name, your name, the fact that you are his wife, and the time period for the operation.

//

Thanks for all the information.I am in my 5th week so shouldn't be a problem as far as health issues are concerned. We can not really afford to have this baby right now because of many reasons..So need to get it done...though an unpleasant decision for both of us.
Well I had been to a general hospital( To their sanfujinka)..but got to know that they do not perform this surgery and refused to suggest any such clinic.I Searched on the net but the clinics that come up do not seem very reliable...And the amounts for the surgery vary a lot.So I am still trying to find one reliable clinic.
Consulting local ward office seems to be a good idea..will try to go there asap.
Thanks for help.Please tell me any other information if you have.

Those out there...Here are the answers to the Questions I asked...Hope it will someone in future

1)Is is legal in Japam?
Yes it is legal
2)Where should I go for getting abortion done?
Any Gynaec clinicor ladies clinic as it is referred here in Japan
3)How much will it cost(Approx)
130,000 for first 11 weeks
190,000 for 11 to 20 weeks and depends on your physical condition and Doctor's opinion in the advanced weeks
4)And do they need any kind of permission letter or something from my husband
Yes you need a consent letter from your partner..stating his name, address and contact number
5)And last is it covered in my Insurance?(I guess not)
No...absolutely not
6)And does anyone know any such clinic with/ without English speaking staff in Tokyo?
There are few special clinics in Shinjuku..

Thanks once again..I got it done last week and taking rest now...

Mari,
Thank you for coming back with specific information. And please do get a good rest, and take care.

Hi Mari,

Hope you still visit this forum. My wife and I have similar issues now. Just had a baby and since her menstruation cycle is irregular plus a host of other health issues, we are really surprised she is pregnant again.

Can you say here where you went to have the operation? Would really appreciate it if you can at least give phone number. Thanks and hope for your speedy recovery.

I am about 8/9 weeks pregnant and my husband and I are going to get an abortion (dont want to hear judgement) but I read on this site theres a place in OKinawa city that does them for 800 US dollars, then I see all these other posts where they are way more. So my question is..

does anyone know for sure how much the Okinawa City clinic costs?
How far along im allowed to be before they will not perform the procedure?
And if youve ever had one here, how was your experience? Were they english speaking people? is it just like the states?

Please let me know as I need to find out ASAP.

Thank you!

I had an abortion procedure back in 2002 in Osaka near Minami-cho. I don't either recall either the doctor's name or the name of the clinic, but it was a very respectful GYN in his 60th, who had his own practice with few other doctors working for him.I liked that doctor a lot, it was my first pregnancy ever and I was 24;he recommended to have the baby for my own health, but it was impossible at that time. He spoke some English and was very attentive and professional
The only disadvantage was in the abortion method they used. They put me on a chair and with the long metal stick he tried to reach the fertilized egg. I thought I was going to die there. Three nurses were holding me, while he was pinching me with that long stick. I was sweating and crying and almost fainted. Then he said he was almost done, and explained that he put some thing inside to help opening my cervix.He gave me pain killers and told to go home and rest till morning when the actual abortion would take a place. Next morning I arrived to the clinic, when after a dose of general anesthesia he performed the abortion. I woke up in the room still under the anesthetic influence. After the procedure I had minor bleeding for couple of days and no cramps at all. But that opening of my cervix without any anesthetic was a disaster. I could not believe it! I have never heard of anything like that done before in any country. I wonder what the procedure like these days in Japan?

Ladies Clinic on Honmoku-dori is wonderful and the doctor speaks English. costs 125,000, additional check-ups are extra. website available online for more info.