Filipino maid arrested over foetus flushed down toilet in Hong Kong

Apr 27, 2010, 5:31 GMT

Hong Kong - A Filipino maid was arrested for allegedly flushing her foetus down the toilet of her Hong Kong employer's home after a secret abortion, police said Tuesday.

The 38-year-old woman was arrested after a plumber found the foetus when he was called out Monday to clear a blocked sewage pipe at her employer's home.

Police said they suspected the maid might have forced an abortion and then flushed the foetus down the toilet as soon as she delivered. A placenta was found by a police dog on a nearby stairwell.

Police did not release how far along in her pregnancy the maid was. Abortion is legal in Hong Kong under certain circumstances - such as danger to the mother's physical or mental health, rape or birth defects - until 24 weeks of pregnancy.

The maid was sent to hospital for an examination and was being detained for questioning early Tuesday, police said. She had not been charged. The maid's expatriate boyfriend was also interviewed.

Hong Kong is home to around 130,000 Filipino women, most working as live-in maids for working families and earning a government-set minimum wage of around 460 US dollars a month.