South Korea to end abortion ban as majority backs reform

SOUTH KOREA’S constitutional court lifted the country’s 66-year ban on abortion yesterday in a landmark decision that will decriminalise the medical procedure by the end of 2020.

Seven out of nine judges declared that the penalising of abortion was “unconstitutional” and ordered parliament to revise the 1953 law.

“[The current law] limits the pregnant woman’s right to choose freely, which is against the principle that an infringement on a person’s right must be kept to the minimum,” said the judgment, according to a local news agency.

The ruling comes as the nation faces a growing, and unprecedented, women’s rights movement inspired by the international #Metoo campaign, which is rebelling against the patriarchal values that underpin South Korean society.

South Korea, Asia’s fourth largest economy, is one of the few industrialised nations where abortion is illegal except in cases of rape, incest and when the mother faces serious health risks. Women caught having abortions can face a prison sentence of one year and a fine of £1,340, while medical workers who help terminate a pregnancy can be jailed for up to two years.

Although prosecutions are rare, prochoice activists argue that the fear of jail leaves women in a vulnerable position – unable to pay their medical bills or seek follow-up treatment.

Activists from both sides of the debate gathered on the road outside the Seoul court awaiting the judgment, with pro-abortionists letting out a cheer as the announcement was made.

The issue has deeply divided South Korea. A 2017 opinion poll showed a narrow majority – 51.9 per cent – in favour of abolishing the ban.

However, a survey this year by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs found that three-quarters of women aged 15 to 44 regarded the law as unfair.