Legislation To Be Amended to Tackle Sex-Selective Abortion
With a view to fighting sex-selective abortion, the legislation will
be amended so as to prohibit sex-selective abortions, for which
purpose during prenatal medical services parents will not be told the
sex of the child until a period when abortion will be impossible.
The head of the unit of maternal and reproductive health of the RA
Ministry of Health Gayaneh Avagyan does not think that the upcoming
legislative amendments may affect pregnant women. `Mothers will not be
told the sex of the child until the period when abortion will be
impossible,' she told lragir.am.
Such reforms will clearly have two negative consequences. First, there
is risk of corruption. Second, under the pressure of family and other
different conditions some women may resort to late abortion when the
baby is developed, endangering their own life and health.
`Every change has both positive and negative consequences. We must be
more careful and enhance control. If cases are detected, we will
react. How can we prevent it? Show us the way and we will follow it,'
Ms. Avagyan says.
The Ministry of Health and other government agencies must think about
ways of preventing selective abortion other than legislative
amendments which expose to risk of corruption or otherwise ask for
advice from others.
Karine Ionesyan
10:40 06/07/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/country/view/30382
With a view to fighting sex-selective abortion, the legislation will
be amended so as to prohibit sex-selective abortions, for which
purpose during prenatal medical services parents will not be told the
sex of the child until a period when abortion will be impossible.
The head of the unit of maternal and reproductive health of the RA
Ministry of Health Gayaneh Avagyan does not think that the upcoming
legislative amendments may affect pregnant women. `Mothers will not be
told the sex of the child until the period when abortion will be
impossible,' she told lragir.am.
Such reforms will clearly have two negative consequences. First, there
is risk of corruption. Second, under the pressure of family and other
different conditions some women may resort to late abortion when the
baby is developed, endangering their own life and health.
`Every change has both positive and negative consequences. We must be
more careful and enhance control. If cases are detected, we will
react. How can we prevent it? Show us the way and we will follow it,'
Ms. Avagyan says.
The Ministry of Health and other government agencies must think about
ways of preventing selective abortion other than legislative
amendments which expose to risk of corruption or otherwise ask for
advice from others.
Karine Ionesyan
10:40 06/07/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/country/view/30382