The Ministry of Justice is to propose amendments to the Criminal Code that would increase fines for illegal abortions to NT$80,000 (US$2,498) from NT$3,000, saying the current penalties are “anachronistic.”
The ministry would propose the bill in 14 days to amend Articles 288 and 290, and revoke Article 292 of the Criminal Code, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the draft, the fine for pregnant women who abort a fetus would be increased to NT$80,000 from NT$3,000, while the fine for carrying out an abortion for purposes of gain would be raised to NT$500,000 from NT$15,000.
Photo: Chen Tse-ming, Taipei Times
Those who at the request or with the consent of a pregnant woman cause an abortion for purposes of gain would be fined NT$2 million, up from NT$15,000, if their commission of the offense results in her death, or NT$1 million, up from NT$15,000, if aggravated injury results, it says.
Not all abortions are a crime, as pregnant women could still have an abortion pursuant to the Genetic Health Act (優生保健法) if her bodily autonomy and the fetus’ right to life are respected, the ministry said.
However, abortions should be limited, as a fetus is “a living being growing into a person,” whose right to life should not be deprived or infringed, it said, citing similar laws in Germany and Japan.
Other regulations were established to allow women to get an abortion under circumstances in line with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, it added.
As illegal abortions could be committed in many ways, the constituent element stating that an abortion is conducted “by taking drugs or by other means” would be deleted, the ministry said.
The fines have become “anachronistic” and would be increased to align with the penalty brackets of the Criminal Code, it added.
The punishment for pregnant women who cause her abortion or permit others to cause her abortion in situations necessitated by illness or life-threatening conditions — other than those specified in the Genetic Health Act — would be revised from “remitted” to “not punishable,” it said.
Article 292, which stipulates penalties and punishments for advertising abortion, would be deleted, following the example of Germany.
The Medical Care Act (醫療法) has set out regulations on advertisements for medical care, it said.
PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
China on Wednesday teased in a video an aircraft carrier that could be its fourth, and the first using nuclear power, while making an allusion to Taiwan and vowing to further build up its islands, as it looks to boost maritime power, secure resources and bolster territorial claims. The video, issued on the eve of the 77th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, featured fictional officers with names that are homophones of three commissioned aircraft carriers, the Liaoning (遼寧), Shandong (山東) and Fujian (福建). Titled Into the Deep, it showed a 19-year-old named “Hejian” (何劍) joining the group, sparking
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said it expects its 2-nanometer (2nm) chip capacity to grow at a compound annual rate of 70 percent from this year to 2028. The projection comes as five fabs begin volume production of 2-nanometer chips this year — two in Hsinchu and three in Kaohsiung — TSMC senior vice president and deputy cochief operating officer Cliff Hou (侯永清) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Silicon Valley, California, last week. Output in the first year of 2-nanometer production, which began in the fourth quarter of last year, is expected to
RSS