Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM) and Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) strongly object to the statement made by the Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM), Lim Hui Ying, in Parliament on July 6, 2026, suggesting that abortion is illegal in Malaysia and that clinics providing abortion services are illegal. This statement is factually and legally incorrect.
Malaysia’s Penal Code does not impose a blanket prohibition on abortion. Section 312 of the Penal Code states clearly that a registered medical practitioner may legally perform an abortion in good faith where continuing the pregnancy poses a greater risk to the life of the pregnant person or injury to their physical or mental health than terminating the pregnancy.
It is therefore inaccurate and harmful to state that abortion is prohibited in Malaysia, or that registered medical practitioners and health care facilities providing termination of pregnancy within the law are illegal.
The Ministry of Health’s (MOH) Guidelines for Termination of Pregnancy aligns with these principles.
Statements made in Parliament carry weight. When the law is misrepresented, especially by a deputy minister, it creates confusion among the public and health care providers, discourages pregnant people from seeking medical care, and contributes to delays that may force individuals to resort to unsafe abortion methods.
Such statements undermine decades of efforts by health care professionals, legal experts, and civil society organisations to improve access to accurate information on reproductive health and rights.
Linking abortion to baby dumping also misdirects the public conversation. There is no evidence suggesting that criminalising or restricting access to abortion prevents baby dumping.
Rather, evidence demonstrates that barriers to contraception, comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), affordable reproductive health care, social protection, and support for survivors of sexual violence contribute to unintended pregnancies and adverse maternal and child health outcomes.
Members of Parliament have a responsibility to ensure that information shared in the Dewan Rakyat is accurate, particularly on matters affecting public health and people’s rights. Public policy must be guided by facts, evidence and the law, not fear or moral panic.
RRAAM and WAO call upon the deputy minister to immediately correct the parliamentary record and issue a public clarification on the legal position of abortion in Malaysia.
We also urge the KPWKM to work with the MOH to ensure that accurate information on reproductive health care is communicated to members of Parliament, health care providers and the public.
Access to reproductive health care is a matter of health, dignity, and rights. Misinformation from those in positions of authority must not be allowed to stand.
Endorsed by:
- Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM).
- Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO).
- SIS Forum (Malaysia).
- All Women’s Action Society (AWAM).
- Family Frontiers.
- Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER).
- Kemban Kolektif.
- The OKU Rights Matter Project.
- Association of Women Lawyers (AWL).
- Monsters Among Us (MAU).
- Dr Amar-Singh HSS, consultant paediatrician and child disability activist.
- Malaysian Doctors for Women and Children.
- Yogarabindranath Swarna Nantha.
- Dr Nadirah Babji.
This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Ova.
