PETALING JAYA: Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Lim Hui Ying has clarified that her recent remarks in the Dewan Rakyat on abortion referred specifically to illegal abortion services, not procedures permitted under Malaysian law.
She said abortion is generally a criminal offence under Sections 312 to 316 of the Penal Code, but Malaysian law provides a clear exception under Section 312.
"The exception allows a registered medical practitioner under the Medical Act 1971 to terminate a pregnancy if the practitioner, acting in good faith, believes that continuing the pregnancy would pose a risk to the woman's life or cause injury to her physical or mental health.
"In such circumstances, termination of the pregnancy is permitted under the law," she said in a statement on Wednesday (July 8).
Lim said the confusion may have arisen from her reply during the Dewan Rakyat oral question session on July 6, as she did not explicitly mention the exemption provided under Section 312 of the Penal Code.
She explained that her response was specifically to a supplementary question from the Kepala Batas MP regarding the number of clinics found to be providing illegal abortion services without authorisation nationwide.
She stressed that her clarification was not intended to disregard the exemption provided under existing laws on abortion.
"My response may have been misinterpreted when viewed from a different perspective, and possibly because the headlines did not reflect the full context," she said.
Lim also reaffirmed that the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry respects and recognises the legal framework currently in force in Malaysia.
She said she appreciated the views expressed by various parties and hoped her clarification would clear up any misunderstanding regarding her remarks and Malaysia's legal position on abortion.
Earlier, the media reported that non-governmental organisation Martabat Untuk Semua (Martabat PJ) had urged Lim to retract her statement in Parliament that abortion is prohibited under the law.
Its president, April Chang, said the statement was legally inaccurate, misleading and inappropriate for a Deputy Minister entrusted with safeguarding women's health and their sexual and reproductive rights and welfare.
She also said ministers and ministry officials should be properly briefed on laws relating to women's health and reproductive rights before making public statements.
