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Justice Minister backs abortion law reforms

09 Mar 2022

 
  • Ali Sabry says that a female who conceives from abuse may hate the child
  • Points to foreign legal jurisdictions which permit abortion under certain conditions
  • Calls on Parliament’s Women’s Caucus to initiate vital dialogue
  Minister of Justice and President’s Counsel (PC) M.U.M. Ali Sabry has told Parliament that he believes reforms should be made concerning the laws governing abortion in the country, in response to a question raised by Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Government Parliamentarian Shantha Bandara about women dying by suicide due to unwanted pregnancies. “It is vital that we begin this discussion. I personally believe that reforms need to be brought in,” he said yesterday (8), adding that he would welcome such a discussion in the Parliament, initiated by the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus. He pointed out that legal reforms have taken place over the years in other countries towards expanding the availability of abortion for women. “The immediate stance may be against abortion other than when it is to protect a woman’s life. But if she has been abused, she may lead her entire life hating the child that is born as a result of such abuse. Other countries have given certain opportunities, under certain conditions, to legalise abortion,” Ali Sabry PC said. He was responding to concerns raised by Bandara. “This is a very sensitive topic. We must, on the one hand, enter this discussion with a policy angle in mind. After a woman or a girl is abused, there is a question of terminating her pregnancy. There are many suicide cases due to unwanted pregnancies and instances where the woman has to spend her entire life paying for it. Are you looking to change the current laws?” questioned Bandara. Currently, abortion is considered a criminal act in Sri Lanka under the Penal Code and is illegal unless the pregnant woman’s life is at risk (Section 303). In 2016, the Ministry of Health reported that 658 abortions are carried out daily in Sri Lanka. This means that approximately 240,170 abortions take place annually.


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