Statements & Responses
Doctors Have a Duty to Protect: Safe Abortion Access is a Health and Human Rights Issue
Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM) stands in solidarity with the woman in Melaka who was jailed for using medical abortion pills in May 2025.
More than 100,000 abortions are estimated to take place in Malaysia every year. According to RRAAM’s 2024 annual report, around 65% of RRAAM’s hotline clients seek information on medical abortion. However, the government continues to dismiss the urgent need to register medical abortion pills, and resists integrating this care into the public healthcare system.
Our laws remain stuck in the past. Malaysia’s abortion laws, inherited from the British Empire’s 1871 Indian Penal Code, still criminalise women and pregnant people today. Many do not realise abortion is permitted under certain conditions for the majority of women seeking abortions in Malaysia, as outlined in Section 312 of the Malaysian Penal Code. Lack of public information and unclear healthcare pathways leave those seeking care fearful and uncertain.