Abortion Bill put on hold amid opposition from religious leaders

The proposed abortion bill has been put on hold because religious leaders have failed to come to a consensus, a senior official said.

Justice Ministry Secre t a r y Padmasiri Jayamanne said that during talks with representatives of the Buddhist, Christian and Muslim Communities, they could not come to an agreement on a report which recommended that abortion be legalised on two grounds. |The report said abortion should be allowed in the case of rape, and, if according to medical opinion, the unborn child will have serious birth deformities.

The report was prepared by the Consultative Committee (CC) appointed in 2014 to review the possibility of legalising abortion under certain circumstances.

The Legal Draftsman’s Office said the bill had been approved by the Cabinet but it was awaiting the official request from the Justice Ministry to draft the bill.

Secretary Jayamanne said the bill was on hold because President Maithripala Sirisena had insisted that the bill be drafted with the consultation of religious leaders. "We are unable to move further as there has not been any agreement," he said. Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne told a recent media briefing that the bill would be drafted and presented to parliament soon.

Health Ministry Director General Jayasundera Bandara said there were issues with regard to the drafting of the bill, especially in the case of a rape, which needed to be proved.

He said the decision for a safe abor- tion should be done quickly, within 12 weeks. "Rape cases can go on for months if not years and it is difficult for a rape victim to benefit from the bill," he said.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Church in a communique has once again reiterated its opposition to the bill. It said that abortion compromises justice and that "no one has the right to tamper with human life even if it is an exception."

According to Health Ministry statistics, around 650 illegal abortions take place daily in Sri Lanka.