Sri Lanka govt. to conduct survey on abortion laws

The government of Sri Lanka will conduct a public survey on Thursday to seek opinion on the proposed amendment of the country’s abortion laws. The Child Development and Women’s Affairs Ministry which is spearheading the public opinion poll stated that the survey would be conducted in the three areas that the government is attempting to legalise abortion. Recently the government proposed to legalise conditional abortion for underage and incestual rape victims, and pregnancies that would suffer severe deformities due to genetic deficiencies. Under the country’s existing law abortion is illegal, except in the case of the pregnancy or childbirth being life-threatening to the mother. Sri Lanka also has a high number of Thalassemia. Out of the 150,000 odd marriages taking place every year around 160 wedded couples carry the gene for the inherited blood disorder. However, Buddhist and Catholic religious heads of the country have strongly opposed the proposal to legalise conditional abortion as both religions consider life sacred and abortion an act of murder. Despite abortion being illegal, government statistics reveal that approximately 1,000 abortions are conducted per day in Sri Lanka. Most of these abortions are done illegally in non-hygienic locations by untrained people where women run severe health risks, including being infected by the HIV virus. The abortion census coincides with the International Women’s Day celebrations.