A collective of organizations and individuals who work on women’s human rights in Sri Lanka have welcomed the Government’s proposal to decriminalize abortion on two accounts; when a mother carries a foetus with lethal congenial malformation and when a woman becomes a rape victim.
Releasing a statement to the media, the activists stated, “The continued criminalization of abortion is a crisis for women’s rights, women’s health and well-being in Sri Lanka; it is as a serious obstacle to our ability to make empowered and autonomous decisions as equal citizens. To choose the termination of an unwanted pregnancy, under any circumstances, is a fundamental human right.”
They add that the easing of abortion laws would also lead to an improvement in maternal health and reduce the number of deaths caused due to unsafe and illegal abortions.
“Around 700 abortions are performed daily in Sri Lanka, which also accounts for the second leading cause of maternal deaths in 2006, 2008 and 2010. Criminalization of abortion has only driven the practice underground, with women resorting to illegal and often unsafe abortions.
The Country Profile on Universal Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health: Sri Lanka (2015) states, ‘Maternal death due to septic abortion is the third highest cause for maternal death, at 13 percent (FHB, 2012).’ It also states, ‘However, considering the data, its legal status does not prevent women from seeking abortions, but does prevent women from seeking immediate medical assistance when complications occur.
Patients are brought in when the conditions are severe and are also at risk of being charged for procuring illegal abortions.’
Since the announcement of the proposal, however, the Catholic Church has come out strongly against the proposal, but the activists point out that, “this is not a moral or religious matter, it is a matter of women’s human rights, dignity and choice.”
“A response to this debate must be a response to women primarily, regardless of class, caste and circumstance. This call to legalize abortion is not a moral one—it is a position which centers the decision-making power of women, and sees the need to reform outdated, colonial legislation, so that women’s rights and autonomy can be enjoyed in full.”
They thus urged the government to “promote, protect and fulfil all the rights of all women, and to fulfil its responsibility towards its citizens. Significant decisions such as this, with regards to citizens’ rights, should not be influenced by religious or other institutions, in a secular and democratic state such as ours,” explained the statement. As the campaign to fully decriminalize abortion continues, the organizations acknowledged that whilst the current proposal is far from adequate, it is an important step.
They urged the Government strongly, to support the proposed amendments to existing abortion legislation and to continue to work with public health officials, women’s rights advocates, medical professions, and psychological-support experts to decriminalize abortion without limitation and provide women the right and access to safe and legal abortion services.
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