Asian Crime and Society Review

THAILAND'S ABORTION LAW TRANSFORMATION: CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, PUBLIC HEALTH, AND THE GLOBAL JURISPRUDENCE OF ROE AND DOBBS

2025-11-26T13:02:22+07:00

This article traces the profound transformation of Thai abortion law from a restrictive criminal framework (1957 Penal Code) to a progressive, rights-based public health model. Historically, reform efforts faced significant political and moral opposition, leading to widespread unsafe practices. A crucial turning point emerged with the 2005 Medical Council's expanded interpretation of legal abortion grounds, aligning with the UK's medicalized approach. The decisive shift occurred in 2020 when the Constitutional Court ruled that criminalizing abortion violated women's constitutional rights to equality and liberty. This catalyzed subsequent legislative amendments that legalized abortion on request up to 20 weeks and codified broad therapeutic grounds, marking a significant move towards reproductive autonomy. The essay analyzes the nuanced influence of comparative jurisprudence. While the UK’s health-based model structurally informed Thailand’s regulatory changes, US jurisprudence, particularly the Dobbs decision, served a symbolic cautionary role, reinforcing the necessity of robust legal protections and highlighting the fragility of rights. Thailand’s unique trajectory, grounded in explicit constitutional principles of equality and public health rather than privacy, offers a distinctive model for reproductive justice in Southeast Asia. The article concludes by discussing ongoing challenges in implementation, ensuring equitable access, and safeguarding against potential regression.

EVALUATING GAMBLING LEGALIZATION: A READINESS INDEX FOR POLICY AND CRIME PREVENTION

2026-01-05T18:53:46+07:00

The rapid expansion of the global gambling industry presents a critical dilemma for modern policymakers: balancing economic revenue against severe social harms and criminogenic risks like money laundering. Rejecting the binary approach of total prohibition versus unfettered deregulation, this study advocates a rational state-management framework. By synthesizing global policy experiences from 2001 to 2025, the research contrasts successful regulatory ecosystems in Singapore and the Nordic countries with systemic failures in the United States and Ukraine. We find that safe legalization requires robust institutional resilience, stringent oversight, and preemptive public health infrastructure. Consequently, this article introduces the Legalization Readiness Index (LRI), a novel diagnostic tool evaluating state preparedness across six dimensions: institutional, public health, legal, economic, public engagement, and digital capacities. The LRI specifically empowers governments to systematically identify infrastructural deficits before enacting complex legislative reform. This comprehensive framework provides a vital strategic roadmap for emerging economies to integrate gambling into formal economic sectors while decisively safeguarding public security and sustainable social welfare.

DECIPHERING THE POST-SECULAR TURN: RELIGIOUS RESILIENCE, IDENTITY POLITICS, AND GLOBAL ADAPTATION

2026-01-17T23:45:06+07:00

This article systematically challenges classical secularization theories by examining the multifaceted evolution of global religions during the first quarter of the twenty-first century. Arguing that faith is undergoing a profound "post-secular turn," the study shows how religious institutions demonstrate remarkable resilience rather than an inevitable decline. The analysis is organized around four interrelated dimensions driving this contemporary transformation: institutional adaptation, decoupling faith from rigid historical structures, the demographic and geographic re-centering of religious gravity toward the Global South, the pervasive instrumentalization of religious beliefs in nationalist and identity politics, and the unprecedented acceleration of digital mediatization reshaping spiritual communities. Synthesizing extensive documentary research across Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, the findings reveal that religion remains a deeply contradictory yet vital force. Furthermore, by critically assessing cross-religious phenomena such as interfaith dialogue and women's evolving leadership roles, this study underscores the urgent need for collaborative engagement. A nuanced comprehension of these dynamics is essential for navigating the complex intersections of faith, political power, and technological innovation.