As the matter of fact, legal abortions are very seldom in Thailand. Even though, the abortion law is widely broken. Virginity is highly valued and there is a heavy social stigma against unmarried mothers, so that fear and shame drive many single pregnant women to illegal abortions. They are unable to face the social consequences of their situation and thus sacrifice their Buddhist principles against taking life. Contrary to the traditional Buddhist understanding, some rationalize that a very small fetus is not yet conscious and thus an abortion does not involve killing.