A BRIGHT FUTURE

Arusyak, age 41, is an obstetrician-gynecologist at Medical Region of Vayq LLC in the Vayots Dzor province as well as a consultant at Shengavit Medical Center in Yerevan. “I always promise my patients that I will take care of them and their babies and I aspire to keep my promise”, - Arusyak said. Indeed, during her 27 year work experience as a doctor, she has met many patients with different stories and she’s remembered them all.

At the beginning of October 2015 Arusyak became a member of Civil Active Group Member in Vayq designed during the EU funded “Combating Gender Biased Sex-Selective Abortions” (CGBSS) project implemented by Save the Children, ICHD, ADC and MWCC. Before this project Arusyak recalled previous patients intending to abort a female fetus solely because of her gender.There were cases, however, when the doctor was strong enough to convince parents not to go through with the abortion by explaining some of the negative physiological and psychological impacts of abortion on women’s health.  “I was doing it absolutely spontaneously without knowing the appalling gender biased sex-selective abortion statistics in Armenia”, - mentioned Arusyak.

Currently, after her involvement in the CGBSS Project Arusyak considered her duty as a doctor, especially as an obstetrician-gynecologist, to fight against sex-selective abortions. Moreover, she has gone to great lengths to prevent gender biased selective abortions and to inspire parents to make choices free from the arbitrary restraints of gender bias. 

Since the beginning of her work with the EU funded CGBSS project, experience Arusyak has been able to recall numerous stories with successful outcomes. One of them was about a 27 year old woman from Vayq who came to Arusyak during the eighth week of her pregnancy. She already had 2 two beautiful girls and she was afraid that the third child will also be a girl. Arusyak calmed her down and asked her to wait until 11^th week. On 11^th week when the sex of the baby was determined by ultrasound to be female, the decision-makers of the family (the father-in-law and the mother-in-law) made their final choice to abort the girl.

Nevertheless, Arusyak met with the father and explained him that to abort a child solely because of the gender was morally unjust. Arusyak appealed to the father by telling him of her own personal experience as the third daughter in her family, and described the family environment of love and support that surrounded the upbringing of Arusyak and her two sisters... Today, the three sisters stand by their parents and take care of them in a deeply tender and compassionate way. She then showed the father a video of an abortion. After he watched the footage it was evident that hehad a moment of clarity when tears appeared in his eyes.

It should be reminded that in life one is always making choices and decisions and this aforementioned family made the right decision “Their beautiful baby girl is approximately two weeks old now, as she was born at the beginning of May, 2016. And I don't have any words to express my excitement when I see the father, the mother and their 3 beautiful girls”,- said Arusyak with great sincerity.