GMPTL President MP Josefa Soares said abortion is a crime and it violates the rights of the child.
The President of the Women in Parliament of Timor-Leste (GMPTL), MP Josefa Alvares Soares, said those who voluntarily practice abortion are committing a crime and violating the rights of the child and could be sent to prison for three years.
MP Soares said Article 141, section 3, speaks about pregnant women who willingly allow other parties to practice the act of abortion to them or they do it themselves through whatever means, and said they could be given a three-year prison sentence.
She is also concerned with health professionals who are aware of this practice and do not raise the issue.
"The implementation of our health service is not yet adequate. If health professionals detect those who practice abortion or want to abort a baby but do not raise the alarm against these women, this show we are not serious about implementing this law and that is why abortion continues," said the MP Soares.
She explained there are two types of abortion, involuntary when it results from illness such as malaria, a fall, and stress and then there is voluntary abortion where a woman tries to abort a baby and when there are health complications she goes to a hospital.
"The hospital needs to take action when they come across a woman who has tried to abort her baby. They cannot just remain quiet."
The MP also said some of the parts of Article 141 need to be fixed because there were other recommendations from the church at the time of the approval of the law that are not factored in.
Meanwhile the Coordinator of the Marie Stopes International Timor -Leste (MSITL) Clinic, Fernanda Maria Serra, said their clinic does not receive women wanting to abort their baby.
According to her the role of MSITL in Timor-Leste is to work with the Ministry of Health in reducing mortality rates of women and children in the country, not to practice abortion.
"Often women come to us to ask us to perform an abortion on them but we never accept this request. We provide counselling and encourage them to look after themselves rather than opting for killing other human beings because that is up to god," said Coordinator Serra.
MP Estanislao da Silva agrees abortion is not an adequate option for women. "This law is too strong and I do not agree with abortion as a family planning tool but we must also create specific conditions for women because they must be allowed to decide their own lives," said MP da Silva.