I REFER to your report about the death of an Indonesian woman after a surgical abortion was performed by a clinic assistant in Kuala Lumpur last year ("Just RM6,000 fine for grandma who botched abortion" -- NST, Sept 25).

This was a totally avoidable death: abortions are commonly performed by registered medical practitioners in properly equipped environments in this country. Under these conditions, this procedure is both safe and legal. We must emphasise here the grossly misleading statement attributed to the deputy public prosecutor, Nor Asma Ahmad, that "abortions are illegal in Malaysia".

The problem that women face is not that abortion is illegal but that the government health service does not recognise abortion as a service that is essential to women's health or their right to control their reproductive functions.

While this service is widely available in the private sector, it is considered a "hush-hush" service by doctors and information is usually only obtainable through the grapevine. Our coalition, Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia, is the only agency in the country trying to address this problem by providing reliable information for people trying to access safe abortion services.

We hope the Health Ministry can review its policy of refusing to provide abortion services in government hospitals in accordance with the Penal Code.
It clearly states that a registered medical practitioner can legally perform an abortion on a woman if, in his opinion, the continuance of the pregnancy would be detrimental to her physical or mental health. The full text of the relevant clauses in the Penal Code is available on request from us at rraamalaysia@gmail.com or choong.sp@gmail.com.