The Ministry of Justice is to propose amendments to the Criminal Code that would increase fines for illegal abortions to NT$80,000 (US$2,498) from NT$3,000, saying the current penalties are “anachronistic.”
The ministry would propose the bill in 14 days to amend Articles 288 and 290, and revoke Article 292 of the Criminal Code, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the draft, the fine for pregnant women who abort a fetus would be increased to NT$80,000 from NT$3,000, while the fine for carrying out an abortion for purposes of gain would be raised to NT$500,000 from NT$15,000.
Photo: Chen Tse-ming, Taipei Times
Those who at the request or with the consent of a pregnant woman cause an abortion for purposes of gain would be fined NT$2 million, up from NT$15,000, if their commission of the offense results in her death, or NT$1 million, up from NT$15,000, if aggravated injury results, it says.
Not all abortions are a crime, as pregnant women could still have an abortion pursuant to the Genetic Health Act (優生保健法) if her bodily autonomy and the fetus’ right to life are respected, the ministry said.
However, abortions should be limited, as a fetus is “a living being growing into a person,” whose right to life should not be deprived or infringed, it said, citing similar laws in Germany and Japan.
Other regulations were established to allow women to get an abortion under circumstances in line with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, it added.
As illegal abortions could be committed in many ways, the constituent element stating that an abortion is conducted “by taking drugs or by other means” would be deleted, the ministry said.
The fines have become “anachronistic” and would be increased to align with the penalty brackets of the Criminal Code, it added.
The punishment for pregnant women who cause her abortion or permit others to cause her abortion in situations necessitated by illness or life-threatening conditions — other than those specified in the Genetic Health Act — would be revised from “remitted” to “not punishable,” it said.
Article 292, which stipulates penalties and punishments for advertising abortion, would be deleted, following the example of Germany.
The Medical Care Act (醫療法) has set out regulations on advertisements for medical care, it said.
STILL COMMITTED: The US opposes any forced change to the ‘status quo’ in the Strait, but also does not seek conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US President Donald Trump’s administration released US$5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, including US$870 million in security exemptions for programs in Taiwan, a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters showed. Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid shortly after taking office on Jan. 20, halting funding for everything from programs that fight starvation and deadly diseases to providing shelters for millions of displaced people across the globe. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has said that all foreign assistance must align with Trump’s “America First” priorities, issued waivers late last month on military aid to Israel and Egypt, the
France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and accompanying warships were in the Philippines yesterday after holding combat drills with Philippine forces in the disputed South China Sea in a show of firepower that would likely antagonize China. The Charles de Gaulle on Friday docked at Subic Bay, a former US naval base northwest of Manila, for a break after more than two months of deployment in the Indo-Pacific region. The French carrier engaged with security allies for contingency readiness and to promote regional security, including with Philippine forces, navy ships and fighter jets. They held anti-submarine warfare drills and aerial combat training on Friday in
COMBAT READINESS: The military is reviewing weaponry, personnel resources, and mobilization and recovery forces to adjust defense strategies, the defense minister said The military has released a photograph of Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) appearing to sit beside a US general during the annual Han Kuang military exercises on Friday last week in a historic first. In the photo, Koo, who was presiding over the drills with high-level officers, appears to be sitting next to US Marine Corps Major General Jay Bargeron, the director of strategic planning and policy of the US Indo-Pacific Command, although only Bargeron’s name tag is visible in the seat as “J5 Maj General.” It is the first time the military has released a photo of an active
CHANGE OF MIND: The Chinese crew at first showed a willingness to cooperate, but later regretted that when the ship arrived at the port and refused to enter Togolese Republic-registered Chinese freighter Hong Tai (宏泰號) and its crew have been detained on suspicion of deliberately damaging a submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The case would be subject to a “national security-level investigation” by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office, it added. The administration said that it had been monitoring the ship since 7:10pm on Saturday when it appeared to be loitering in waters about 6 nautical miles (11km) northwest of Tainan’s Chiang Chun Fishing Port, adding that the ship’s location was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the No.
RSS