Own a clinic? Get premium visibility.
Clinic Geek

Termination of Pregnancy Singapore: The Law

by ClinicGeek. Published on .

Termination of pregnancy in Singapore is regulated by the Termination of Pregnancy Act 1974 and the Termination of Pregnancy Regulations. This page summarises those rules in plain language: who may carry out the treatment, where it may take place, the duration limits in section 4, who the law allows it for, counselling, and the waiting period. It is a legal summary for readers who want the official position. It does not describe procedures.

If you want to talk to a doctor, a GP, a women's health clinic, or a gynaecologist can be the first conversation. How to compare those clinics is in how to compare women's clinics by location in Singapore. Where public and private services sit in the system is in where to look for women's healthcare in Singapore. A directory listing does not show whether a doctor is authorised under the Act or whether premises are an approved institution.

This is general information, not medical advice and not legal advice. Read the Act and Regulations, and confirm your own situation with a doctor. If you are in severe pain, fainting, or bleeding heavily, call 995 or go to A&E. How to choose urgent care is in GP, 24-hour clinic, or A&E.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters

Quick Answer

On the current text of the Termination of Pregnancy Act 1974, treatment must be carried out by an authorised medical practitioner, at the request of the pregnant woman and with her written consent. Except for one drug-only situation in section 10, it must be in an approved institution. The Act's general limit is 24 weeks, with a narrower rule after 16 weeks. The woman must also meet the citizenship, work-pass, or residence conditions in section 3, unless treatment is immediately necessary to save her life. Section 4 restricts treatment if the pregnancy is of more than 24 weeks' duration, and it sets a narrower qualification rule if the pregnancy is of more than 16 weeks' duration but less than 24 weeks' duration. The Termination of Pregnancy Regulations set authorisation, counselling, and a 48-hour interval after counselling before written consent and treatment.

The Act and the Regulations

The Act is "an Act relating to termination of pregnancy by authorised medical practitioners". The version on Singapore Statutes Online is the current version as at 22 October 2026. Section 3(1) says a person shall not be guilty of an offence under the law relating to abortion when a pregnancy is terminated by an authorised medical practitioner acting on the request of a pregnant woman and with her written consent.

Section 3(4) makes it an offence to contravene section 3. The maximum penalty stated in that subsection is a fine not exceeding $3,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years, or both.

Section 5 makes it an offence to compel or induce a pregnant woman, by coercion or intimidation, to undergo treatment against her will. The request and the written consent have to be hers. Regulation 6(2) says written consent under section 3(1) shall be in Form III in the Schedule. Regulation 6(3) says she shall sign a declaration of marital status, educational level, and number of living children in Form IV.

Section 7 restricts disclosure of facts or information about the treatment. A person who keeps the medical records, or who participates in the treatment, must not disclose those facts unless the pregnant woman expressly consents, except to such persons and for such purposes as may be prescribed. Regulation 12 sets out those limited purposes. They include certain duties of Ministry of Health officers, specified law-enforcement and prosecution purposes, criminal proceedings that have begun, and bona fide research.

Who may carry out the treatment, and where

An authorised medical practitioner is a medical practitioner authorised under the Regulations to carry out treatment to terminate pregnancy. A medical practitioner, for the Act, is a person registered under the Medical Registration Act 1997.

Regulation 3 distinguishes two applications to the Director-General of Health:

  • A medical practitioner who, after registration under the Medical Registration Act 1997, has had 24 months' experience, or such period as the Director-General may determine, in an obstetric and gynaecological unit of a hospital recognised by the Director-General, may apply for authorisation to carry out treatment for a pregnancy of not more than 16 weeks' duration.
  • A medical practitioner who holds the degree of Master of Medicine (Obstetrics and Gynaecology) of the University of Singapore or the National University of Singapore, or who is a Member or Fellow of a Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, may apply for authorisation for a pregnancy of not more than 24 weeks' duration.

The authorisation may be subject to conditions. The Director-General may revoke it. Holding the experience or the qualification is the basis for an application. The regulation does not say that the qualification by itself is the authorisation.

Section 3(2) says that, except as provided by section 10, every treatment must be carried out by an authorised medical practitioner in an approved institution.

An approved institution, in the current section 2, means approved permanent premises under the Healthcare Services Act 2020 at which the licence holder is approved to provide an acute hospital service, an ambulatory surgical centre service, or an outpatient medical service, and which the Minister has approved for the purposes of the Act. That definition includes the amendment in Act 19 of 2025, in force from 5 December 2025.

Regulation 2 says an application for approval as an approved institution is made in the form on the Ministry of Health Healthcare Application and Licensing Portal at halp.moh.gov.sg. An application may be rejected. Approval may be cancelled. Unless cancelled, approval is for 2 years.

Section 10 is the exception to two restrictions. Where the treatment consists solely of the use of drugs prescribed by an authorised medical practitioner, and does not include any surgical operation or procedure, it is not necessary for that practitioner to hold the prescribed qualifications or to have acquired skill over the prescribed period, and it is not necessary for the treatment to be carried out in an approved institution. The treatment must still be by an authorised medical practitioner. Section 10 does not remove the consent rule or the citizenship, work-pass, and residence conditions.

This article does not name medicines or describe how any treatment is done.

How long a pregnancy may be

Section 4(1) says no treatment to terminate pregnancy may be carried out in two situations:

  • If the pregnancy is of more than 24 weeks' duration, unless the treatment is immediately necessary to save the life, or to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health, of the pregnant woman.
  • If the pregnancy is of more than 16 weeks' duration but less than 24 weeks' duration, unless the treatment is carried out by an authorised medical practitioner who is in possession of the prescribed surgical or obstetric qualifications, or who has acquired special skill in such treatment either in practice or by virtue of holding an appointment in an approved institution over the prescribed period.

Section 4(2) says the duration is calculated from the first day of the last normal menstruation of the pregnant woman to the end of the 24th week, or to the end of any week between the 16th and the 24th week, as the case may be. The duration may also be ascertained by clinical examination.

The Act states those two limbs separately. This summary does not add a rule for a pregnancy that the Act does not place in either limb.

Who the law allows treatment for

Section 3(3) says no treatment may be carried out by an authorised medical practitioner unless the pregnant woman meets one of these conditions:

  • She is a citizen of Singapore, or is the wife of a citizen of Singapore.
  • She is the holder, or is the wife of a holder, of a work pass issued under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act 1990.
  • She has been resident in Singapore for at least 4 months immediately preceding the date on which the treatment is to be carried out.

The words "wife of a citizen" and "wife of a holder" are the words of the Act. The subsection does not apply to treatment which is immediately necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman. That life-saving exception is the exception written in section 3(3). It is separate from the section 4 exception, which also covers grave permanent injury to physical or mental health when the pregnancy is of more than 24 weeks' duration.

A doctor has to apply these categories to the documents in front of them. This article cannot say which category applies to a particular reader.

Counselling and the waiting period

Regulation 4 says every approved institution shall have among its personnel at least one doctor or nurse who has undergone a course of training in termination of pregnancy counselling conducted by the Director-General of Health.

Regulation 5 is headed "Mandatory counselling". It says:

  • Except for the referral in paragraph (2), every authorised medical practitioner shall provide a trained counsellor and facilities for counselling to such pregnant women who come for treatment as may be specified by conditions to the authorisation.
  • The counselling shall follow the form, manner, and criteria laid down in those conditions, and shall be given to such pregnant women as the Director-General may direct.
  • An unmarried pregnant woman below 16 years of age must be referred to such counselling centre or counselling facilities as the Director-General directs. The practitioner shall not terminate the pregnancy unless she produces a certificate of attendance in Form VII.
  • The practitioner shall also provide a trained counsellor and facilities for counselling to a woman who has had her pregnancy terminated.

Regulation 6(1) says that if a pregnant woman, after she has been counselled, wishes to proceed, at least 48 hours shall elapse before she is required to give written consent and before the treatment is given.

Regulation 7 says regulation 5(1) shall not apply to treatment which is immediately necessary to save the life or prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of a pregnant woman.

The Ministry of Health's written answer of 4 April 2022 says the pre-abortion counselling by a trained counsellor and the 48-hour time lapse after counselling are not required where termination is immediately necessary to save the life or prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the woman. The same answer says those requirements still apply where a baby has been diagnosed with a foetal anomaly not compatible with life. It says the counsellor would tailor the session to the woman's needs and focus on her psychosocial, mental, and emotional well-being, and that the 48 hours is time for her to consider the next step.

On 13 April 2015, the Ministry of Health said it would extend pre-abortion counselling to all pregnant women seeking termination of pregnancy in Singapore, regardless of nationality, educational status, and number of children, with effect from 17 April 2015. The Regulations still describe the women to be counselled by reference to the conditions of authorisation and the Director-General's directions. A reader should ask the authorised practitioner which counselling requirement applies to her.

Where to get counselling or speak to a doctor

The Regulations place the trained counsellor with the authorised medical practitioner, at the approved institution, except for the directed referral for an unmarried pregnant woman below 16. They do not publish a public list of counsellors in the Regulations themselves.

A conversation can start before that point. You can speak to a GP, including at a polyclinic, or arrange a visit with a women's health clinic or a gynaecologist. Ask whether the doctor is an authorised medical practitioner under the Regulations, whether the premises are an approved institution, and how counselling is arranged. Compare location and hours only after you know the service exists. The method is in how to compare women's clinics by location in Singapore. How to choose a GP is in finding a general practitioner in Singapore.

ClinicGeek can help you find a clinic by area and specialty. It does not show authorisation under the Termination of Pregnancy Act, and it does not list fees for this treatment. Confirm both with the clinic and, where you need the legal status of a premises, with the clinic's own approval documents or the Ministry of Health.

If you are unsure whether symptoms need a clinic or emergency care, use GP, 24-hour clinic, or A&E. A late period by itself is a different question, covered in what a late period can mean in Singapore.

References

Recent Posts