Contraction of HIV, Hepatitis Won’t Justify Abortion

By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

Pregnant women diagnosed with chicken pox, hepatitis or HIV will not be allowed abortions, the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said Tuesday.

``Thanks to ever-improving medical techniques, many of the previously incurable diseases are now curable or at least manageable to a greater extent. Therefore, killing a fetus for such health reasons should not be accepted,'' a ministry official said.

The authorities permit abortion when a woman becomes pregnant through raped or involved in incest; if parents have an inheritable, genetic or transmittable disease or condition; or when a woman could lose her life because of the pregnancy.

However, the revised Mother and Child Law, approved at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, tightened the conditions for abortion. Hemophilia, bipolar disorder and hereditary epilepsy were also scrapped from the list of conditions.

``The revised law is expected to enhance respect toward life and reflect what modern medical skills can offer to a mother and her fetus,'' the official said.

Only conditions that seriously affect a fetus' health, such as rubella or achondroplasia, remain on the list.

Additionally, under the revised law, women will be banned from having the procedure after the 24-week mark, even if they meet other preconditions. The current law allows abortions up to 28 weeks.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr