Vietnam to Tighten Control over Illegal Abortion

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has issued a draft law on population in which authorities will tighten control over illegal abortion. The draft law stipulated that anyone aged under 18 would need the consent of one or both of their parents or guardian for an abortion. Prof. Nguyen Lan Dung, chairman of the Vietnam Biology Association, said that the draft law did not mention education in biology and reproductive health, which was a huge omission. Statistics from the ministry showed that some 300,000 abortion cases are made annually and half of the total was among teenagers. The figure places Vietnam in the top five countries with the highest abortion rate. The United Nation’s Population Fund said that as many as 46 out of every 1,000 women in Vietnam give birth at the ages between 15 and 19. Prof. Dung attributed the situation to lack of knowledge on sex and reproductive health, especially among female students, and the negative impacts of pornographic products. Financial difficulties, delayed childbirth, social pressure and sex selection are also the main reasons, he said. The draft law also bans all activities related to fetal sex selection and bans family members from pressuring couples to deliver a boy or a girl. (Vov.vn Sept 28, Nld.com.vn Sept 28)