Alarming increase in abortions

800-1,000 abortions per day reported :

Nadira Gunatilleke

COLOMBO: Nearly 800 to 1,000 abortions take place in Sri Lanka per day while the birth rate per day remains changed.

It is a very unhealthy condition and needs to be addressed immediately, Commissioner, Probation and Child Care Services, Sarath Abeygunawardena said.

He said that the abortion rate is very high and it violates child rights. "It is high among married couples mainly due to lack of awareness on reproductive health.

Still many married couples use traditional and natural family planning methods and they do not follow modern scientific family planning methods.

We have to promote reproductive health education," he said. Some mothers leave new born babies in hospitals and abandon them.

This has become common incident. Such babies are brought up in State owned children's homes, he said.

Abeygunawardena pointed out that last year Rs.5 million was allocated to refurbish State owned children's homes and this year the amount of funds has been increased to Rs. 10 million to provide better living conditions for children. There is no congestion in these homes at the moment.

There are about 1,500 children staying in State-owned children's homes and the new National action plan will help upgrade their living conditions, he added.