ABORTION TREND IN 1987

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon asked the Acting Minister for Health what was the abortion trend in 1987.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, with your permission, I would like to take Questions No. 9 and No. 10 together.

Sir, in 1986, 23,035 legalised abortions were performed, 6,314 by Government and 16,721 by private doctors. In 1987, the number of abortions decreased to 21,226. 4,749 were performed by Government and 16,477 by private doctors.

Encik Wan Hussin bin Haji Zoohri (Kampong Ubi): Would the Acting Minister for Health have the ethnic backgrounds for these abortions?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: The profile of the abortees are matched very closely with the population profile.

Mr Heng Chiang Meng (Jalan Kayu): May I ask the Acting Minister for Health whether he wishes to consider aborting the Abortion Act?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, this issue has been brought up almost every year and the answer remains the same, ie, the Ministry will not terminate the legislation to allow legalized abortion.

Mr Heng Chiang Meng: In that case, may I ask the Acting Minister whether his policy on this issue is congruent with the setting up of fertility clinics and the long waiting list of couples wanting adoption of babies. May I ask him to look more into ways and means of trying to match the unwanted babies to those who want babies, and not simply to look at the legislation and simply looking at abortion as a final solution to this problem?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, those two issues are not incongruous. In the first place, I think it would be most unkind to treat women just as biological bodies for having babies and to try to match the ability of women to have babies with the wishes of those who wish to have babies, but who are unable to have them. The legislation allowing legalized abortions meets a specific need, and that is, that certain women, for various reasons, do not wish to carry on with the pregnancy. The Ministry will try its best to counsel them and to persuade them to carry on with the pregnancy. I think that is the best that we can do, in the interest of the pregnant mothers.

Mr Heng Chiang Meng: Sir, is not the present population policy based precisely on that premise of treating the women as biological bodies for more babies?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: The answer is no.

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