In a bid to stave off controversy, the Executive Yuan yesterday delayed its approval of contentious draft amendments to the Abortion Law (優生保健法), which would annul an article requiring married couples to obtain the consent of their spouse before getting an abortion, tubal ligation or vasectomy.
"Since there's still room for further debate over the controversial issue, we have decided to put it on hold for the time being," Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (
Yu made the remark yesterday morning in response to the request filed by Department of Health Director General Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) during the weekly closed-door Cabinet meeting.
While participants were scheduled to discuss the draft amendments to the Abortion Law during the meeting, Chen requested the draft be withdrawn because of the controversy surrounding it.
"Although some of the articles have become obsolete since the law took effect in 1985, we still thought there was much time and room to solicit opinions from the public, especially from religious groups, regarding this disputed topic," Lin quoted Chen as saying.
Since Chinese-language media revealed on Monday that the Cabinet was expected to approve the draft amendments to the law during yesterday's Cabinet meeting, religious groups have voiced vehement opposition while women's groups welcomed the move.
Under the draft, the Cabinet had originally planned to allow a married person to get an abortion, tubal ligation or vasectomy without the consent of their spouse.
The draft also stipulated that married women who needed an abortion should consult their doctors and consider the decision for three days before taking any action.
Married women allowed to have an abortion would have to prove that they or their spouse suffered from a genetic disorder, communicable disease or a mental or rare illness.
They would also have to prove that their immediate family members or those of their spouse suffered from a genetic disease.
Married women allowed to have an abortion also had to prove that their pregnancy would endanger their life, mental or physical health, or that the baby would be born with a deformity.
Abortions would also be allowed for married women whose pregnancies resulted from forced sexual intercourse, sexual assault or intercourse with those legally banned from marriage.
The maximum fine for an unauthorized medical doctor performing an abortion, tubal ligation or vasectomy would also increase from the original NT$30,000 to NT$500,000.
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