Abortion Storm

THE Health Ministry acted irresponsibly when it drew up the Government Regulation on Reproductive Health. The inclusion of an article allowing abortion in Government Regulation No. 61/2014 has sparked controversy. The confusion over this article shows that the government did not think properly when drafting it.

The regulation, which was signed into law by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on July 21, should attract praise. After years in the making, since the Health Law was passed in 2009, the government finally put the finishing touches to the regulation to protect patients' rights regarding reproductive health, from pre-conception to post-natal. For example, the law states that every woman has the right to obtain healthcare in order to give birth to a healthy new generation.

August 26, 2014