Prospective parents will be banned from choosing the sex of their children through abortions, except for medical reasons, under amendments to the Abortion Law (
A previously proposed stipulation that women seeking an abortion should consult their doctors and undergo a three-day "reflection period," however, would be retained.
According to a Cabinet official who asked not to be named, the proposed ban was considered after religious and women's rights groups reached a consensus during closed-door discussions hosted by the Cabinet over the past few months.
"We have found this a difficult issue but we're glad that religious and women's rights groups finally reached a conclusion," the official said.
Women's rights groups had opposed the three-day "reflection period" but said they were not trying to encourage women to seek abortions.
"What we're trying to do here is to let pregnant women enjoy their inalienable right to decide for themselves when the pregnancy is not desirable," said Liu Chung-tung (劉仲冬), chairwoman of the Foundation of Women's Rights Promotion and Development.
Liu said the waiting period was unnecessary because pregnant women seeking an abortion would brood over the issue for some time before taking action.
"Besides, medical consultations conducted before an abortion are nothing more than trying to talk pregnant women out of seeking an abortion," she said.
Louis Aldrich, dean of the Faculty of Theology at Fu Jen Catholic University, said that although abortion should be banned, it was acceptable under certain circumstances.
"Our stance is clear: abortion shouldn't be allowed unless the pregnancy endangers the health of the mother and the baby and that the pregnancy results from forced sexual intercourse or incest," he said.
The Abortion Law stipulates that women seeking an abortion would have to prove that they or their spouse, or members of their immediate family, suffered from a genetic disorder or that they or their spouse suffered from a communicable disease, a rare illness or a mental disorder.
The law also states that any woman seeking to have an abortion would have to prove that the pregnancy would endanger her life, her mental or physical health, or that her baby would be born with a deformity.
Citing studies conducted by international medical institutions, Aldrich said that the "reflection period" is absolutely necessary.
"Studies show that 25 out of every 100 pregnant women have abortions in Sweden and the US where the reflection period is unnecessary, whereas only 10 out of every 100 pregnant women have an abortion in Belgium and the Netherlands, where a five- to six-day waiting period is mandatory," he said.
Despite Aldrich's proposal to extend the "reflection period" from three to six days, the Department of Health stood firm on its stance.
The amendments would annul an existing article requiring married people to obtain the consent of their spouse before getting an abortion, tubal ligation or vasectomy. They would only have to notify their spouse if they decide to do so.
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January last year have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
The WHO ignored early COVID-19 warnings from Taiwan, US Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill said on Friday, as part of justification for Washington withdrawing from the global health body. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said that the US was pulling out of the UN agency, as it failed to fulfill its responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO “ignored early COVID warnings from Taiwan in 2019 by pretending Taiwan did not exist, O’Neill wrote on X on Friday, Taiwan time. “It ignored rigorous science and promoted lockdowns.” The US will “continue international coordination on infectious
RSS