NGOs urge deputy minister to clarify remarks on abortion

Deputy women, family and community development minister Lim Hui Ying told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday that abortion and clinics providing the service are prohibited in Malaysia. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Two NGOs have urged deputy women, family and community development minister Lim Hui Ying to issue a public clarification on the legal position of abortion in Malaysia.

In a joint statement, the Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia and Women’s Aid Organisation said Lim’s remarks in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday that abortion and clinics providing the service were prohibited in Malaysia were “factually and legally incorrect”.

“Statements made in Parliament carry weight,” they said in a statement endorsed by nine other organisations including SIS Forum (Malaysia) and Family Frontiers.

“When the law is misrepresented, especially by a deputy minister, it creates confusion among the public and healthcare providers, discourages pregnant people from seeking medical care, and contributes to delays that may force individuals to resort to unsafe abortion methods.

“Such statements undermine decades of efforts by healthcare professionals, legal experts, and civil society organisations to improve access to accurate information on reproductive health and rights,” they said.

The NGOs said MPs have a responsibility to ensure that information shared in the Dewan Rakyat is accurate, particularly on matters affecting public health and people’s rights.

They also called on the health ministry to ensure that accurate reproductive healthcare information is communicated to MPs, healthcare providers and the public.

Section 312 of the Penal Code states that registered medical practitioners may perform a termination of pregnancy if the continuation of the pregnancy poses a risk to the woman’s life or causes injury to her physical or mental health.

Yesterday, health think tank Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy said Lim’s claims added to misinformation and stigma around unintended pregnancies.

Galen Centre CEO Azrul Mohd Khalib stressed that Malaysian law allows registered medical practitioners to provide terminations of pregnancy under specific legal and clinical conditions.

Azrul also said that unintended pregnancy remains a public health issue, citing National Population and Family Development Board data showing a 26.7% unmet need for family planning in 2022. The data also showed that about one in three Malaysian women experience an unplanned pregnancy in their lifetime.