Who We Are
We are a coalition of doctors in Singapore who believe in the sanctity, intrinsic dignity and value of all human lives, including that of an unborn child. Our convictions are articulated in the “Statement on What We Believe” below.
Why Doctors for Life?
Ever since abortion in Singapore was legalised in 1969, the termination of the lives of unborn children is part of elective medical procedures performed for a myriad of reasons ranging from psychosocial indications to purely pragmatic intentions.
Abortion is the only medical procedure in medicine whereby the death of a human being is regarded as procedural success. Contrariwise, if the fetus survives an abortion, it is called a “failed abortion.” However, the deliberate killing of prenatal human lives is against the medico-ethical principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. Above all, doctors should do no harm.
Furthermore, as pregnancy is not a disease, abortion is not an essential part of women’s healthcare. This is evident by the fact that only a fraction of obstetrician-gynecologists performs abortions.
The Hippocratic Oath (c. 400 BC), in its explicit respect for the sanctity of human life from conception, is consistent with the findings of contemporary embryology when it states, “I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion. With purity and holiness I will pass my life and practise my Art.”
Correspondingly, the International Code of Medical Ethics (1949, 1968) adopted by the Third General Assembly of the World Medical Association expresses a similar reverence for human life at conception, “I will maintain the utmost respect for human life, from the time of its conception, even under threat. I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity.”
As the undersigned, we jointly enunciate our convictions concerning the status of the unborn, and as a medical fraternity affirm and uphold the dignity and intrinsic value of the pre-born child as a distinct, living and whole human being.
Yours sincerely,
Doctors for Life
Statement on What We Believe
I
We believe the indisputable scientific fact that human life begins at conception. From the earliest stages of human development, the pre-born child is a distinct, living and whole human being.
II
We believe that as medical doctors, our duty is to save and to preserve life. A fundamental dictum in medicine is primum non nocere or “first, do no harm.” As every unborn child is a human life with intrinsic value, we endeavour to save, treat and protect the lives of all our pre-born patients.
III
We believe that the deliberate destruction of the unborn child is not medically necessary to save the life of the mother. There is a vital distinction between the direct and intentional destruction of a pre-born child, and necessary medical treatments that are carried out to save the mother’s life even if such treatment results in the loss of life of her pre-born child.
IV
We believe that the fetal human being is capable of feeling pain, and the intentional killing of the pre-born child is an inhumane procedure. In the early stages of the second trimester of pregnancy, the fetus reacts to stimuli that would be recognized as painful if applied to an adult human being. The scientific evidence points towards an immediate pain experience mediated by the developing function of the nervous system from as early as 12 weeks gestation.
V
We believe therefore that every unborn child ought to be treated with the same human dignity, respect and care that every paediatric, adult or geriatric patient would receive from their healthcare providers.
In the United States, a representative national survey showed that over 85% of obstetrician-gynecologists do not perform abortions on their patients. See Stulberg D, Dude A, Dahlquist B, Curlin F., “Abortion Provision Among Practicing Obstetrician-Gynecologists.” Obstet Gynecol. 2011 September ; 118(3): 609–614. doi:10.1097/AOG.0b013e31822ad973.
For example, a study shows that 95% of all biologists affirmed the biological view that a human’s life begins at fertilization. See Jacobs, Steven, Biologists’ Consensus on ‘When Life Begins’ (July 25, 2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3211703 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3211703. That life begins at conception is also a general consensus of embryology textbooks.
Condic M, “When Does Human Life Begin? The Scientific Evidence and Terminology Revisited”, University of St. Thomas Journal of Law and Public Policy 8 (1) Fall 2013 Article 4.
There are rare circumstances in which a mother’s life is in jeopardy due to either pre-existing conditions or pregnancy complications. It is extremely rare for this to occur prior to the point of viability (currently 22 weeks after last menstrual period, 20 weeks after fertilization). After 20 weeks fertilization age, it is never necessary to intentionally kill the fetal human being in order to save a woman’s life. In cases where the mother’s life actually is in danger in the latter half of pregnancy, there is not time for an abortion, because an abortion typically is a two to three-day process. Instead, immediate delivery is needed in these situations, and can be done in a medically appropriate way (labor induction or C-section) by the woman’s own physician. We can, and do, save the life of the mother through delivery of an intact infant in a hospital where both the mother and her newborn can receive the care that they need.” Donna Harrison, M.D., Michelle Cretella, M.D., John Schirger, M.D., David Stevens, M.D. and Jane Orient, M.D., “It Is Never Necessary to Intentionally Kill a Fetal Human Being to Save a Woman’s Life: In Support of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act”, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute (Feb 2019). Also see the Dublin Declaration on Maternal Health.
Testimony of Dr. Maureen Condic. District of Columbia H R.179J, 23 May 2013. Pages 36-46.
American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Practice Bulletin 2: Fetal Pain.
American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Fetal Pain Fact Sheet.
Curtis L Lowery, “Neurodevelopmental Changes of Fetal Pain”, Seminars in Perinatology 31 (2007): 275-282.
Derbyshire SW and Bockmann JC, “Reconsidering Fetal Pain”, Journal of Medical Ethics 46 (2020): 3-6. “In summary, current neuroscientific evidence undermines the necessity of the cortex for pain experience. Even if the cortex is deemed necessary for pain experience, there is now good evidence that thalamic projections into the subplate, which emerge around 12 weeks’ gestation, are functional and equivalent to thalamocortical projections that emerge around 24 weeks’ gestation. Thus, current neuroscientific evidence supports the possibility of fetal pain before the “consensus” cut-off of 24 weeks. … Overall, the evidence, and a balanced reading of that evidence, points towards an immediate and unreflective pain experience mediated by the developing function of the nervous system from as early as 12 weeks.” See Derbyshire, “Reconsidering Fetal Pain”, 4, 6.