Sadness of facing pregnant teenagers

A 17-year-old girl gave birth to a healthy infant at a single-mother delivery center in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, last October.

This was no ordinary teenager. She was facing the maximum penalty for engaging in criminal activities. The pertinent sentence would have meant that she would have to head to a juvenile detention center for two years.

She was four months pregnant when she stood in front of Judge Chon Jong-ho in the Changwon Juvenile Court for habitual theft.

She insisted that the pregnancy was the result of rape and asked to be sent home for an abortion.

What she said turned out to be a lie. She was apparently sleeping with her boyfriend with whom they were stealing from vehicles.

The judge fell into a dilemma. If he were to be lenient and sent her home with a light sentence, she was certain to get an abortion.

Considering that abortions are illegal in Korea, he could not close his eyes to such a possibility.

If she were to be sent to a juvenile detention center, she would be forced to give birth to a child with no one’s blessing.

After a month of deliberation, he decided to send her to the detention center.

After spending two months at the detention center, she was transferred to the Rodem’s House, a home for single mothers, and eventually gave birth to a healthy child.