By Lee Kyung-min
A group of women have raised concerns over a recently reignited conflict between the government and doctors about the illegal-yet-common medical practice of abortion, saying the issue has failed to reflect the voices of women and the reality they face.
Late last month, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced a plan to toughen punishment on doctors performing abortions, including suspending their licenses for up to one year.
In response, the Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said Wednesday that its members would halt performing the medical procedure next month if the government doesn't withdraw the plan. Considering the reality that about 200,000 abortions are carried out a year here, the pledge is to hold hostage women who choose the procedure due to any number of reasons.
An official at the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center said women, who are directly affected by the measure, were neglected in the process.
"Both the government measure and doctors' protest fail to respect the autonomy of women who have the right and ability to control what happens to their bodies," the official said.
Just banning abortion with tougher sanctions for doctors, without considering the women's desperate circumstances, is another form of violence, she added.
"Given the lack of welfare policy for single mothers and the social stigma that labels such women as being promiscuous, many women have no choice but to terminate their pregnancies," she said.
"As a result, those women would be driven to find unlicensed individuals in unhygienic places, which is another violation of rights to health and safety."
While women getting abortions and doctors performing them are subject to punishment, the punishment excludes the men who are the fathers of the babies, according to an official at the Korea Women's Hot Line.
"Women do not get pregnant alone, and yet, there is no punishment for the men. This is unfair oppression of women," she said.
In Korea, women who have abortions are subject to a prison term of up to one year or a fine of up to 2 million won ($1,800). While doctors may face up to two years in prison, but they usually get a 1 million won to 2 million won fine or a suspended prison sentence.
The official said many problems are occurring for people not ready to be parents, such as discarding newborns and teen pregnancies. "The government should come up with a more fundamental approach and conduct in-depth discussions about abortion and women's rights, rather than short-sighted crackdowns," she added.
In principle, abortion is allowed only in limited cases including rape, incest or if the mother has a genetic illness.
A group of women have raised concerns over a recently reignited conflict between the government and doctors about the illegal-yet-common medical practice of abortion, saying the issue has failed to reflect the voices of women and the reality they face.
Late last month, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced a plan to toughen punishment on doctors performing abortions, including suspending their licenses for up to one year.
In response, the Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said Wednesday that its members would halt performing the medical procedure next month if the government doesn't withdraw the plan. Considering the reality that about 200,000 abortions are carried out a year here, the pledge is to hold hostage women who choose the procedure due to any number of reasons.
An official at the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center said women, who are directly affected by the measure, were neglected in the process.
"Both the government measure and doctors' protest fail to respect the autonomy of women who have the right and ability to control what happens to their bodies," the official said.
Just banning abortion with tougher sanctions for doctors, without considering the women's desperate circumstances, is another form of violence, she added.
"Given the lack of welfare policy for single mothers and the social stigma that labels such women as being promiscuous, many women have no choice but to terminate their pregnancies," she said.
"As a result, those women would be driven to find unlicensed individuals in unhygienic places, which is another violation of rights to health and safety."
While women getting abortions and doctors performing them are subject to punishment, the punishment excludes the men who are the fathers of the babies, according to an official at the Korea Women's Hot Line.
"Women do not get pregnant alone, and yet, there is no punishment for the men. This is unfair oppression of women," she said.
In Korea, women who have abortions are subject to a prison term of up to one year or a fine of up to 2 million won ($1,800). While doctors may face up to two years in prison, but they usually get a 1 million won to 2 million won fine or a suspended prison sentence.
The official said many problems are occurring for people not ready to be parents, such as discarding newborns and teen pregnancies. "The government should come up with a more fundamental approach and conduct in-depth discussions about abortion and women's rights, rather than short-sighted crackdowns," she added.
In principle, abortion is allowed only in limited cases including rape, incest or if the mother has a genetic illness.
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