Police in Hong Kong arrested eleven foreign domestic workers on suspicion of child destruction and illegal abortions during a targeted investigation. The arrests followed the discovery of a dead fetus at least 28 weeks old at one worker’s employer’s home in June.
Paramedics responding to a medical emergency found the fetus hidden in a laundry basket inside the 39-year-old woman’s bedroom. Police said the fetus had not been born alive and suspected abortion pills were involved, sparking further investigation into potential suppliers.
During questioning, the woman admitted she bought the pills from another foreign domestic worker who allegedly brought them from overseas. She was arrested in July, prompting police to conduct raids between July 29 and August 8 across various Hong Kong districts.
Those raids led to the detention of ten additional women aged in their 30s and 40s for related abortion offenses. Authorities have charged five women, granted bail to five others, and remanded one in custody for ongoing legal proceedings.
If convicted of child destruction, suspects face a possible life sentence under Hong Kong law, police confirmed during Friday’s briefing. Inspector Lam Ho-yin of the Yuen Long district crime squad stated that evidence suggests an individual seller, not an organized crime group.
He identified a 32-year-old domestic worker as allegedly smuggling abortion drugs into Hong Kong and selling them to others privately. Abortion remains legal in Hong Kong only before 24 weeks under health or medical conditions or in severe fetal abnormality.
After 24 weeks, the procedure is permitted only if the mother’s life faces immediate danger according to existing medical regulations. Possessing or supplying abortions inducing drugs without authorization carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison under Hong Kong statutes.
