This picture grab from the video clip allegedly shows a teen girl dropping a bag said to contain her aborted child in a garbage bin on Feb. 19. (Photo from father-in-law's Facebook account)
A teenage girl in Thailand who deliberately terminated her 8-month pregnancy could face a murder charge if it is proved the child was alive before she dumped it in a bin, police said on Feb. 22.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named because she is a minor, put the child's body in a plastic bag and dumped it in the garbage at an apartment complex in the capital Bangkok, the Bangkok Post website reported.
Police said she would initially be charged with illegal abortion. But she could face charges of premeditated murder and hiding a corpse if tests show the fetus was alive after she terminated the pregnancy.
Abortion in Buddhist-majority Thailand carries a maximum sentence of three years in jail and a fine of 6,000 baht (US$172). The girl terminated the pregnancy on Feb. 19 because she felt she would not be able to look after the child as her partner was in prison for a drugs offense, according to her father-in-law.She bought "abortion pills" on the internet, police said.
The case went viral on Feb. 21 when her father-in-law-posted a clip showing her dumping the fetus into a garbage bin on his Facebook account, with a message strongly condemning her actions.
Buddhism is a primary religion in Thailand, with about 95 percent of Thais being Buddhist and their religion closely tied to the state. Thai Buddhists equate abortion as a sin and an impediment to karmic rebirth, an intrinsic part of their belief.