Thu Oct 6, 2016 | 3:51am EDT
By Amy Sawitta Lefevre | BANGKOK, Reuters
Predominantly Buddhist Thailand will relax its strict rules against abortion to cover fetuses with proven birth defects linked to the Zika virus, health officials said on Thursday, doubling to 24 weeks a deadline for the procedure.
Thailand last week confirmed its first known cases of microcephaly linked to the mosquito-borne virus. The two cases of the birth defect marked by a small head were the first in Southeast Asia, following Zika outbreaks in the Americas
Health experts who met this week to draft guidelines for expectant mothers with Zika concluded that abortions can be carried out at up to 24 weeks in case of serious birth defects.
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Source: Reuters