Taiwan should bolster welfare and counseling services for women with unplanned pregnancies to decrease the number of abortions, a counseling group for pregnant women said on Friday.
About 300,000 to 500,000 abortions are performed in Taiwan every year, a range double or triple the number of yearly live births, Profemina Taiwan director-general Charles Lin (林朝興) told a news conference in Taipei.
The figure is also significantly higher than the global average of one abortion to three live births, he said.
Photo: CNA
Profemina International is a professional counseling organization and a listed affiliate of the anti-abortion group, Heartbeat International.
The Executive Yuan could use 5 percent of the NT$120 billion (US$3.69 billion) demographic decline response plan to encourage women with unplanned pregnancies to seek counseling, Lin said, adding that a 10 percent reduction in abortions would lead to 20,000 to 30,000 additional births.
The government should establish a mechanism to report abortions so the government can formulate policies based on accurate statistics, he said.
Common reasons for abortions include relationship problems with partners, career choices, economic burdens or medical issues, Profemina Digital Counseling assistant director Paula Von Ketteler said.
About 65 percent of women who consulted the German branch of Profemina chose to give birth and had no regrets, von Ketteler said, adding that the branch assists 240,000 women annually.
The number of abortions in Singapore dropped from 20,000 in 1985 to 6,000 in 2022, Safe Place founder Wei Pei-yi (魏佩儀) said.
Safe Place helps mostly unmarried young women through counseling and economic support, including providing them with a place to live to encourage births, Wei said, adding that the group also helps with putting children up for adoption.
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