A ruling party lawmaker Saturday submitted a bill allowing doctors to reveal to parents the gender of unborn babies over 28 weeks, following a recent court ruling that found a decades-old ban on prenatal gender tests breaches parents' right to know.
The Constitutional Court ruled in late July that there is little chance of an abortion after 28 weeks of pregnancy and that it is "an overstretched measure" to prohibit the prenatal gender test during the entire period of pregnancy.
South Korea banned the gender test of unborn babies in 1987 to prevent abortion amid strong preference for boys over girls. The court noted that gender preferences have faded as women's rights have improved in the country.
Rep. Lee Ju-young of the Grand National Party said he submitted a revised bill on the medical law, which will allow doctors to test the fetus's gender and notify parents of the results after seven months of pregnancy. The revision also eased punishment on doctors who conduct pre-birth gender tests before the safeguard period, suspending their licenses rather than revoking them, he said.
"The preference for a son has faded away, and abortion is punishable by criminal law. Thus, to put a blanket ban on the gender test of unborn babies contravenes the principle of the Constitution that bans extreme measures," Lee was quoted as saying by Yonhap News.