After debating over the matter for years if not decades, the Sri Lankan government has finally taken measures to legalize "limited abortion", sources of the Child Development and Women's Affairs Ministry said.
A consultative committee is now working on the mechanism to legalize "limited abortion" in Sri Lanka as a way of addressing issues faced by women who have been victimized by rape and other similar problems. The recommendations of the committee will be presented to Parliament to formulate new laws on this matter.
Women's Affairs Minister Tissa Karalliadda has said the Ministry is exploring possibility of expediting action on this matter, Asian Mirror Sinhala website reported today.
Although abortion is officially illegal in Sri Lanka, there are many medical centers that conduct abortions under the radar, most of the time without meeting standards that should be followed when conducting such operations.
According to UN publications,, abortion is allowed in most countries in order to save a woman’s life (97% of countries). Other commonly accepted reasons are preserving physical (67%) or mental health (63%).
Abortion in the case of rape or incest is accepted in about half of all countries (49%), and performing them because of economic or social reasons in about a third (34%). Performing an abortion only on the basis of a woman’s request is allowed in 29% of all countries. In some countries, additional procedures must be followed before the abortion can be carried out,even if the basic grounds for it are fulfilled.
