The 28th Foreign Correspondent Report

Abolish the Anti-Abortion Law That Threatens the Health of Women
Jeong HYOMIN (Korea)
My Body, My Choice! My body is mine!
Women's wombs are not public goods!
Abortion is the basic right of women!
If abortion is a crime, the killer is the state!
In October 2016, a so-called “blackprotest” calling for the abolition of the antiabortion law was held in Korea. In
September of the same year, the Ministry ofHealth and Welfare issued an announcement that it would amend the administrative
rules for health care to intensify the punishment for doctors who perform illegal abortions.
In response, doctors came out strongly against this and declared that they would halt
abortions as a whole, which triggered the “black protest”. The country that needs toprotect the health of its people, and the medical sector, whose priority is the restorationof patients' health, do not regard the health of women as important. For their right toabortion, women had to be hostages in their own fight. Angry women began to take to thestreets and accused the reality of abortion and demanded the abolition of the anti-abortion
law, which excludes women's human rights.
Abortion is the core of women's health rights
Criminalizing abortion gives men strict control over women. Under the penal code, if awoman undergoes an abortion, she shall be punished by imprisonment for a term notexceeding one year or a fine not exceeding two million won. A doctor who has performed
an abortion will also be punished by imprisonment for up to two years. However, there isno punishment for men who have joint responsibility for pregnancy. Besides, there is nosystem in which the state can force the child’s father to provide financial support in orderto prevent him from escaping without taking responsibility for the child as if it were a hitand-run accident. Nevertheless, men have the right to make decisions about getting asurgical abortion. That is because women who do not have consent from their spouses orlegal guardians, even if they are allowed to terminate pregnancy under the Maternal andChild Health Law (as exemptions), cannot even get an abortion. 1
The legalization of abortion has become a global trend. Of the 35 OECD member
countries, 29 countries, or 80 %, allow women to artificially terminate pregnancy at theirrequest. Of those, four countries include socio-economic reasons as grounds for permitting
an abortion. Recently in Ireland, the anti-abortion law was repealed through referendums,
The Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center, <Abortion, 10 questions, 10 answers,
Q&A>https://ksvrc.tistory.com/783

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The 28th Foreign Correspondent Reportenabling unrestricted access to abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Anti-abortion law is life-threatening
The anti-abortion law is not for saving lives. Many women have lost their lives becauseof illegal and unsafe abortions they underwent due to the existence of the anti-abortion
law. Given this situation, the state has been pushed to fulfill its national and social
responsibilities to actively protect and guarantee lives with disabilities or sickness, andin socially disadvantaged or poor conditions.
Some people claim that the anti-abortion law should not be abolished abruptly when
doing so is wrong. Yet according to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO) in2016, the rate of abortion is lower in countries that allow abortion. Countries thatguarantee reproductive rights and share social responsibilities for childbirth andnurturing improve socioeconomic conditions, reducing unwanted pregnancies and making
termination of pregnancy services accessible. In order to prevent unwanted pregnancies
along with the abolition of the anti-abortion law, aggressive contraceptive practice andsex education should be combined.
Women are more concerned about pregnancy and maternal death subsequent to unsafe
abortions. The state should guarantee the protection of its people’s lives, instead ofpunishing and controlling them.
Responsibilities for contraception, pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, and terminationof pregnancy should also be shared with the state and men. However, all these
responsibilities and burdens have been concentrated solely on women. For women's healthand safe termination of pregnancy, legislation to legalize the termination of pregnancy
should exclude restrictions such as duration of gestation and reasons for application.
Medical services related to pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, and contraceptives
should be expanded as public health practices. In accordance with UNESCO’sInternational Guidelines on Sexuality Education, comprehensive sex education should beconducted, promoting age-appropriate and culturally appropriate access to sex andrelationships by providing scientifically accurate, realistic, and value-neutral information.
Now we must secure women's health and reproductive rights through the abolition of
the anti-abortion law and the legalization of the termination of pregnancy. It is thequestion of women's human rights and social justice whether or not women can terminate
pregnancy safely in the case of unwanted pregnancies. I hope that the year 2018 will bemarked by the abolition of the anti-abortion law in Korea.