South Korean Health Experts Advocate Changes To Abortion Ban, Face Opposition From Antiabortion Groups

Some public health experts in South Korea are advocating for changes to country's abortion law but have been facing opposition from antiabortion groups and South Korean government, Reuters reports. Abortions have been banned in country since 1953 except to save life of woman, in cases of a sexual crime or if the fetus would have severe birth defects.

Although most abortions are banned in the country, many law enforcement officials " look the other way " as long as abortions are performed by trained physicians, Reuters reports. Physicians face up to two years in prison and/or the loss of their licenses for performing illegal abortions, but only a few cases have been prosecuted in court. Physicians also are not allowed to reveal the sex of the fetus to expectant parents because of a cultural preference for boys. According to most recent statistics, about 350, 000 abortions were performed in country in 2005, or about 80% of total number of infants born that year. Most abortions performed in country are among single women and " not for health reasons, " according to Park Sung-chul, a physician who closed his private clinic because of lost income when he stopped performing abortions.

Kim So-yoon, a professor of medical law and ethics at Yonsei University who headed a government team that investigated how to reform the country's abortion law, said law was " set up under different ideals " than those that currently exist and should be changed. Kim, with support of women's rights groups, is lobbying to broaden conditions under which abortion is permitted, an approach seen as more " expedient than striking down old law and drawing up a new one. '

According to Reuters , Christians who are opposed to abortion make up about one-third of South Korea's population and are resisting changes to current law. " The government, under its family planning policy, has planted in people's minds for past 35 years idea that there's nothing wrong with abortion, Kim Hyeon-chul, a minister and leader of country's antiabortion movement, said. In addition, many physicians are opposed to changes in law because they do not want to lose income from performing clandestine abortions, which are paid for in cash or credit and are often not reported on taxes ( Lee, Reuters , 4/4 ) .

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