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Reproductive health
Hong KongSociety

Abortions on the rise in Hong Kong, say NGOs and doctors amid concern over pregnant teens in distress

  • Family Planning Association clinic performed 2,155 abortions from January to August
  • Some women say they can’t afford a baby because of pandemic anxiety over jobs, money

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Hong Kong has seen an increase in the number of women and girls seeking abortions during the Covid-19 crisis, according to NGOs and doctors. Photo: Shutterstock
Laura Westbrook

Daisy* was shocked when she found out she was pregnant earlier this year, after weeks of feeling unwell.

At 20, the office assistant felt she was too young to have a baby and decided to have an abortion. Then she learned she was about 16 weeks’ pregnant, well over the 10-week limit to have an abortion at the Family Planning Association in Hong Kong (FPAHK).

Going to a private hospital was out of the question as it would have cost up to HK$35,000 (US$4,500). Before the Covid-19 pandemic, she could have gone to Shenzhen, where the procedure costs less, but travel restrictions in place this year blocked that option.

“I felt I had no choice but to go through with the pregnancy, and I gave my daughter up for adoption,” she says.

Daisy says she saw her daughter only once after giving birth last month, and cried for many nights afterwards, even though she was convinced her baby girl would have a better life with another family.

Hong Kong has seen an increase in the number of pregnant women and girls seeking abortions during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to NGOs and doctors.

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