A legal framework is being drafted to allow women to terminate pregnancies in cases of fatal birth defects that cannot be medically treated or corrected, Ceylon Today reported.
Quoting Dr. Kapila Jayaratne, President of the College of Community Physicians, the report said that proposed regulations would provide legal backing for women to make this decision when lethal foetal abnormalities are detected during gestation.
Dr. Jayaratne had made these comments at a seminar by the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA).
Noting that some infants with such conditions survive only a few hours after birth, often requiring intensive care, Dr. Jayaratne said the resources could be allocated to other newborns with better survival prospects.
The initiative involves the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians, and the Sri Lanka College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Under the proposed legal procedure, two medical specialists must confirm the severity of the condition, and terminations would be conducted in State-run hospitals. (Newswire)
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