SINGAPORE FAMILY PLANNING AND POPULATION BOARD BILL

3.47 p.m.

Order for Second Reading read.

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Singapore's present population is over 1.8 million and our population density is more than 8,000 persons per square mile, certainly a very over-crowded little island State! Our crude birth rate is around 32 per thousand, which is much too high. The fact is that too many children are being brought into the world each year at the great cost of their mothers' health, and also far too many bread-winners of families are finding it difficult to feed and clothe adequately the many extra children. Regrettably, many women in sheer desperation over innumerable child-bearing over the years are resorting to illegal abortion, as a way out. This is evidenced by nearly 500 patients being admitted to Kandang Kerbau Maternity Hospital each year in serious condition, known as "abortion with sepsis" and which is most likely the result of unsuccessful attempts at induced abortions. The number of illegal abortions each year is conservatively estimated by people in the know to be in the region of thousands! In order, therefore, to liberate our women from the burden of bearing and raising an unnecessarily large number of children, to lighten the burden of many bread-winners, and to reduce the nefarious activities of ruthless professional abortionists, Government accordingly published a White Paper on Family Planning as part of its second Five-Year Development Plan (1966-70) of Singapore - Cmd. Paper 22 of 1965 dated 27th September, 1965.

This Plan envisages that over a period of five years a target of 180,000 eligible married women, of the fertile age group (15 to 44 years) would be motivated voluntarily and actively to participating in family planning. The total cost to Government for this Five-Year Plan is estimated at $1 million.

Action on a national basis is required to cope with the present problem of uncontrolled increase of population which, if left unchecked, may well hinder and even to nullify present great and strenuous efforts at economic expansion by the Government and its people.

The chief purpose of this Bill is to provide the legal means whereby the Five-Year Plan for Family Planning could be given effective direction and execution. If this Family Planning programme succeeds - and we are determined that it should - besides increasing welfare and happiness for hundreds of thousands, Singapore's future annual net increase in population in the 1970's can be brought down to one-half of its present rate, and thus be brought in line with the prevailing rates of population increase now found in the prosperous and advanced countries of the world.

Clause 3 provides for the formal constitution of a body corporate to be known as "the Singapore Family Planning and Population Board" as recommended in the White Paper on Family Planning. The Board is to have a maximum membership of 15 members, vide clause 4. The Board represents a broad spectrum of interests, seven are ex-officio members (five representing the Ministry of Health and the other two from the Statistics and Social Welfare Departments respectively) and eight others are non-officials, two of whom would represent the University of Singapore and up to six others from members of the public who are deeply interested in family planning and population control activities.

The usual powers are given to the Board under clause 6 to employ such stall as may be deemed necessary for the effective carrying out of its work and programme.

An important provision of the Bill is clause 11 which provides that any person, body or association now carrying out family planning work in Singapore has to be registered with the Board. Specific exemption, however, is made for medical practitioners arid pharmacists who are registered under the Medical Registration Ordinance (Cap. 191) and Registration of Pharmacists Ordinance (Cap. 198) respectively. The Board may also register any body, association or person carrying out family planning work with or without conditions. This is necessary as the Board is to he the sole agency for the promotion and dissemination of information pertaining to family planning in Singapore and it must ensure that such a valuable social programme is not to be exploited commercially or otherwise by any other agencies.

It is pertinent for me to mention, at this stage, of the prominent work of two voluntary organisations now conducting family planning activities in Singapore. Firstly, the Singapore Family Planning Association, which was established as far back as 1949, or 16 years ago, and at whose request, Government was asked to take over 90 per cent of their present responsibilities on family planning. Arising out of this move by the Singapore Family Planning Association, the White Paper on Family Planning thus came into being. Secondly, the South-East Asia and Oceanic Regional Centre of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and to which Federation the Singapore Family Planning Association is also a member thereof. This Regional Centre of I.P.P.F. serves as a Training Centre for family planning workers for the territories ranging from Fiji in the east to Burma to the west of Singapore.

Although these two voluntary organisations would be required to register with the Board under the provisions of clause 11 of the Bill, the closest co-operation with these two agencies will be maintained, as representatives from each of these two agencies have been sounded to serve as members of the Board under the provisions of clause 4 (1) (i), and I am pleased to state that these invitations have been accepted.

There is also a provision under clause 12 for the Minister, if he deems it necessary in the public interest to do so, to order the Board to take over the functions pertaining to family planning and the assets and property of any body or association which is required either to be registered under the provisions of clause 11 of the Bill.

Clause 13 spells out in detail the functions of the Board which covers family planning and population control programmes, and clause 17 provides for various penalties for any person who fails to comply with the various provisions of the Bill. The other clauses are mainly administrative in character.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill.-[Mr Yong Nyuk Lin].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment: read a Third time and passed.