Number of infanticides increases

The number of teenage girls dumping the body of an infant they deliver is increasing, sources said Sunday.

A girl said, “Unfortunately, I got pregnant. Of course, I opted for an abortion.” Another girl said, “I learned that if I undergo surgery three months after pregnancy or more, it’s not good for my health. It is better to dump the infant after delivery,” according to a youth center in Daejeon.

According to police in Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province last Thursday, they found an infant dead near a fire hydrant at an apartment complex in Nonsan.

During questioning, a young couple said they first did not know of the pregnancy. They said they were afraid that their parents became aware of the delivery, so they strangled their infant to death and dumped the body near the hydrant, a police officer said.

In May, another teenage couple was arrested on charges of killing their infant in Daejeon, the officer said.

According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of deliveries by teenagers increased from about 1,400 in 2006 to 2,000 in 2009 and 2,230 last year. If deliveries at illegal facilities and abortions are added, the number will go up further, experts say.

A counselor at the Daejeon youth center said, “Most teenagers are not worried about their premature sex life. When it comes to it, they are freer than before.”

Many of them said they heard of contraception, but felt no need to use it because they were doubtful about actually getting pregnant, the counselor said, adding that they only thought that it was unlucky.