TEENAGE ABORTIONS

Mdm Claire Chiang See Ngoh asked the Minister for Health, in view of the recent demand from the community for parental consent in teenage abortions, whether he will (i) seek broader discussions and consensus on this matter by forming a review committee to reappraise the issues and (ii) adopt a fresh look in reviewing the Termination of Pregnancy Act to strengthen some level of monitoring on teenage abortions.

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: My Ministry reviews the regulations and procedures in the Termination of Pregnancy Act regularly. We welcome feedback and suggestions on how to improve them. Many of the points raised in the recent debate on parental consent in teenage abortions are not new. If there are specific suggestions on how to improve the monitoring of teenage abortions, we are prepared to incorporate them.