KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 – The Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM) has issued a statement expressing its solidarity with a woman in Melaka who was jailed for using medical abortion pills.
According to the Malay Mail, the 21-year-old woman was sentenced to nine months’ jail by the Ayer Keroh Magistrates’ Court in Melaka for taking misoprostol to terminate her five-month pregnancy.
Misoprostol is a medication recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for use to induce abortion.
However, it is not registered on the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) registered list of medications and is therefore prohibited from sale in Malaysia.
The woman had initially gone to Melaka Hospital for breast engorgement (swelling of the beast after childbirth), claiming she had suffered a miscarriage.
She later admitted to taking abortion pills that she had purchased via TikTok. She gave the foetus to a friend for burial.
In her defence, the woman’s lawyer said she had consumed the pills after repeated pressure from her boyfriend. But there was no mention of whether the boyfriend had also been questioned or investigated by the authorities.
According to RRAAM, more than 100,000 abortions are estimated to take place in Malaysia every year.
The reproductive rights group, which offers free consultation on safe and affordable abortion services and contraceptive methods through a hotline, said around 65 per cent of its hotline clients last year sought information on medical abortion.
“However, the government continues to dismiss the urgent need to register medical abortion pills, and resists integrating this care into the public health care system,” said RRAAM.
“Our laws remain stuck in the past. Malaysia’s abortion laws, inherited from the British Empire’s 1871 Indian Penal Code, still criminalises women and pregnant people today.
“Many do not realise abortion is permitted under certain conditions for the majority of women seeking abortions in Malaysia, as outlined in Section 312 of the Malaysian Penal Code.”
RRAAM added that lack of public information and unclear health care pathways leave those seeking care fearful and uncertain.
“A person seeking care at a government hospital was reported to authorities by the very doctor she trusted. This betrayal destroys trust in the health care system and deters others from seeking care, putting lives and health at greater risk.”
Last year, RRAAM and other reproductive rights groups also spoke out against health care providers reporting patients who terminate their pregnancy, when a 22-year-old woman in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, was jailed for a day and fined RM2,000 by the Magistrates Court for terminating her pregnancy.
“We urge health care providers to uphold patient confidentiality as stipulated by the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC). Beyond confidentiality, health care providers must also prioritise the safety, dignity, and the quality of life of those who seek care,” RAAM said.
It made the following demands:
- Doctors and health care workers must ensure confidentiality, dignity and the quality of life of those seeking abortion care.
- The MOH must register both Mifepristone and Misoprostol, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
- The MOH must publish clear and accessible information on how to access safe abortion care and contraceptive services.
RRAAM’s statement is supported by:
- Association of Women Lawyers (AWL)
- Pertubuhan Jaringan Kebajikan Komuniti (JEJAKA)
- Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO)
- Persatuan Endometriosis Malaysia (MyEndosis)
- For Youth Initiative Kuala Lumpur (FYIKL)
- Women on Web
- Sisters in Islam (SIS)
- SEED Malaysia
- Kolektif Feminist Malaysia
- SIUMAN Collective
- Society for Equality, Respect And Trust for All (SERATA)
- Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)
- Women’s Centre for Change, Penang (WCC)
- PLUHO, People Like Us Hang Out!
- Miso-Miso Asia Alliance for Safe Abortion
- All Women’s Action Society (AWAM)
- KL Queer Space
- Life Under Umbrella
- StandUp Malaysia
- Legal Dignity
- Kemban Kolektif
- Mekar Kami
- Minda Psychology Services
- IPPF ESEAOR
- Refugee Emergency Fund (REF)
For information on safe abortion options and contraception, WhatsApp the RRAAM Hotline at 018-3687950.
