INDUCED-ABORTION IN SOUTH KOREA

[Anchor Lead]

The recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the abortion right has caused legislative ramifications in Korea as well. The Korean Constitutional Court ruled three years ago that a penal law that mandates punishment for abortion was unconstitutional. But a lack of clear terms and circumstances of abortion since then has caused great confusion among doctors and patients alike. It is estimated that more than 30,000 pregnancies are terminated per year in Korea.

[Pkg]

Abortion pills are sold on this website. The advertisement guarantees anonymity and ensures termination of pregnancy without a hospital visit. Dozens of reviews and purchase requests are posted on the site every day. Imported abortion pills not approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety are being sold indiscriminately here. In fact, a Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs' survey showed online postings as the source where people get most of their information about Induced abortion. Judging from the survey that said 7.1% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 have undergone Induced abortion at least once, the surveying body estimates more than 30,000 Induced abortions are taking place every year. There have been no follow-up legislation or new institutional measures after the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled it unconstitutional to punish those who sought abortion. However, forty percent of obstetricians and gynecologists (OB-GYN) replied that they had carried out Induced abortion surgeries.

[Soundbite] Kim Jae-yeon(Chair, Korean Association of OB-GYN) : "The biggest difficulty for medical professionals is the absence of laws and guidelines. Doctors want to treat patients safely within the law and systems."

Those who terminate their pregnancies in secret, under the radar, cannot be treated properly even when pre- and post-surgery problems occur. In fact, only less than half the women surveyed said they received proper treatment when they experienced problems during the abortion process.

[Soundbite] Na Young(Director, Center for Sexual Rights and Reproductive Justice) : "When they can't fully rest or visit hospitals to treat their symptoms, even small side effects can become big complications."

While Korea has been putting off abortion-related debates such as how far into a pregnancy can a woman be in to be allowed abortion, women remain in limbo where they are neither punished nor protected.