Religious leaders condemn attempts to legalize abortion
Religious leaders condemn attempts to legalize abortion
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A group of religious leaders publicly condemned abortion on
Wednesday, saying it was against the teaching of all religions
and against human values.
In a joint statement, representatives from five religions
denounced abortion in the country and all attempts to legalize
the practice through an amendment to the 1992 Health Law.
Calling on the public to preserve life from conception, they
said that it was the duty of the community to prevent unwanted
pregnancy and uphold family values.
"Under no circumstances is abortion condoned by any religion.
It is prohibited by all religions, as it can be categorized as
murder," said Umar Syihab of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI).
Umar added that abortion was morally unjustifiable unless it
was in order to save the life of the mother.
Another leader, I.N. Suwandha from the Hindu Community
Association, said that regardless of the method applied, abortion
was sinful.
Abortion is widespread in Indonesia as proven by a report that
estimates that the number of abortions reaches 2.5 million
annually. Of this, 1.5 million of the abortions are preformed on
young girls who fall pregnant out of wedlock.
The religious groups also appealed the public to support a
campaign against abortion spearheaded by the National Commission
for Love Life (Komnas GSK).
The campaign was launched to counter a drive to legalize
abortion through an amendment to the Health Law.
"There are groups of people in society who want to revise the
Health Law so that it provides legal grounds for abortion," said
Angela Abidin, head of Komnas GSK, citing a law that disallows
abortion except under life-threatening conditions.
Prevailing Law No. 23/1992 clearly prohibits abortion. The law
states that professional medical workers may perform an abortion
only after the consent of the biological parents is gained,
providing that the woman's life would be endangered by going
through with the pregnancy.
"The Ministry of Health has submitted a bill to amend the
prevailing Health Law that gives more leniency for abortion,"
said Marius Widjajarta from the commission.
The draft proposes that to undergo an abortion, a woman does
not need the consent of the baby's father as long as she can give
a compelling reason why carrying a baby to full-term would
endanger her life.
"If the draft is approved by the House of Representatives,
abortion will become a legal issue, without taking morality into
consideration," Marius said.
"We urge the government not to revise the law as it will
become legal grounds for doctors to help abort unwanted
pregnancies, especially among teenagers," Marius said.
He added that the Health Law had been poorly implemented, so
that revising it would be useless.
"For medical workers, the full implementation of the law is
still a dream. How can the government revise a dream that hasn't
come true?" Marius said.