Sri Lankan social media users fall for false posts claiming govt 'approved abortion pills'

"The government approves the use of the abortion pill," reads the Sinhalese-language text on a graphic shared on Facebook on May 2, 2023.

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Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured on May 2, 2023

An identical claim was also shared on Facebook post here and here.

Comments left by viewers of the posts indicate they believed the announcement was a decision made in Sri Lanka.

"This will open floodgates. Cannot expect any discipline or respect for the country's culture from Sri Lankan youth nowadays," one wrote.

Another comment read: "So many unwanted children are abandoned by roadsides here. This is a good decision no matter what people say."

But the posts have shared a "false claim", Dr Chithramalee de Silva, director of Sri Lanka's Family Health Bureau, told AFP.

"Abortions are illegal in Sri Lanka and no decision has been made in Sri Lanka to approve the use of an abortion pill," she said on May 2.

According to a World Health Organization document published here, laws pertaining to abortion in the island nation are "restrictive" (archived link).

"Abortion is illegal unless the life of the mother is at risk," the document says. "Causing an abortion is a criminal act under the Sri Lankan Penal Code and is punishable with imprisonment ranging from three to ten years, with or without fine."

Japan report

Moreover, a keyword search on Google found the text in the posts matches the headline of this article published on May 2, 2023 by local news website Dasatha Lanka News (archived link).

The Sinhala report reads: "The government of Japan has approved the use of the controversial abortion pill for the first time.

"However, foreign media reports that it is a conditional approval that permits the administration of the pill on women only within nine weeks of conception," it adds.

AFP reported here in late April the abortion pill will become available in Japan for the first time after the health ministry approved the drug used to terminate early-stage pregnancy (archived link).

Abortion is legal in Japan up to 22 weeks but consent is usually required from a spouse or partner, and a surgical procedure had been the only option until the approval of the pills.