Gov't to review legitimacy of abortion, reigniting pro-life vs. pro-choice debate

/ Korea Times file

By Jung Min-ho

Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday it will review the legitimacy of the nation’s anti-abortion law.

Cho Kuk, the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, said the government will begin the task by collecting more facts through research next year.

The announcement came after more than 230,000 people signed a petition against the law, which carries a sentence of up to one year or a maximum fine of 2 million won ($1,850) for a woman who has an abortion.

“The fetal right to live is critical, but the current law pushes abortions underground,” Cho said. “Besides, the law holds women accountable only, excluding men who are also responsible.”

“Based on the outcome of the research, we can take a step forward and begin a new debate.”

According to the government’s latest survey conducted in 2010, about 169,000 abortions were performed that year ― most of them (94 percent) were done illegally, but only about 10 people were indicted.

A midwife, who was indicted for performing an abortion, took the issue to the Constitutional Court in 2010, but it upheld the law two years later.

Cho said the court is deliberating the issue once again. He also urged the National Assembly to find a “new equilibrium point.”

“The government will make its own efforts by educating students about contraception and supporting women in difficult circumstances,” he said.

Abortion has been illegal in Korea since 1953, except in cases of rape, severe defects in the fetus and serious danger to the woman’s health. For a long time, the government has been criticized for turning a blind eye to the issue; it has neither actively prosecuted the crime nor legalized it.

In September, a petition appeared on the presidential office’s website, calling on President Moon Jae-in to amend the law.

The petition claimed that “unwanted pregnancy is a tragedy for all, including the woman, the unborn child and the country,” urging Moon, a practicing Catholic, to decriminalize it.

Cheong Wa Dae previously said it will respond to any petition that gains more than 200,000 signatures within a month.