Are illegal abortions in Hong Kong related to ‘class problem’?
High costs for private hospitals and stretched public health services blamed for women turning to black market or mainland to seek help over unwanted pregnancies
Increasing numbers of Hong Kong women are risking their lives by seeking illegal abortions at makeshift clinics in the city or on the mainland, an issue which a local lawmaker has condemned as a huge “class problem”.
In Hong Kong, abortions are legally performed in public and private hospitals, if two doctors agree that the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother. Women under 18 years of age generally require parental consent for the procedure.
Illegal abortions carried out in small Hong Kong public housing flat, High Court hears
Since 2011, Hong Kong has seen a 17 per cent drop in abortion rates, although the figure only applies to legal procedures. According to a Legco document, the number of cases dropped from 11,864 in 2011 to 9,890 in 2015. Most were women aged between 25 and 34.
The most significant drop during this four-year period was between 2012 – the year of Central Hospital’s closure – and 2013, when there were 645 fewer cases. The private hospital was the city’s largest provider of abortions – up to 60 per cent of total cases – and had operated for 46 years, offering low-cost services to patients who could not afford private care elsewhere.
A 2012 study by the non-profit Family Planning Association of Hong Kong showed more than 40 per cent of the 61 women polled had previously had abortions, and among them, 37 per cent terminated their pregnancies in mainland China, while another 23 per cent did so illegally in the city.
Shiu suggested the numbers reflected that more young women were opting for illegal procedures in the city, or went across the border to do so.
He did not comment on whether this trend could also be explained by women taking greater precautions to prevent pregnancies.