Korean Christians are strongly condemning the South Korean government’s announcement on Wednesday that the use of abortion pills will be permitted in the country for the first time. As recently as June, the Seoul Administrative Court had ruled that abortion groups could not advertise for the deadly drug within the country. That appears is now set to change.
Despite the fact that the country has a disastrously low birth rate, and is spending huge sums trying to put that right, the decision will cut even further the number of little Koreans who are conceived and survive until birth.
On September 16, the government stated that it plans to allow pill abortions for women up to nine weeks pregnant by early 2027, to be prescribed and dispensed by physicians for the first two years. The Constitutional Court formally decriminalised abortion in 2019, but South Korea’s parliament had deliberately delayed legislating on the issue due to strong opposition from Christian groups.
“This introduction of medication abortion is meaningful because it’s a step to make sure that ending pregnancy is done more safely and within the national healthcare system, and to improve the situation caused by a lack of an effective government oversight system,” Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min-kyong stated at a press conference.
“The step is designed to approve a local company’s application for importing a two-drug combination pack consisting of mifepristone and misoprostol,” reported the Associated Press. “In July, President Lee Jae Myung, a liberal, instructed officials to explore ways to allow women to use the two-drug combination pack.” The Korea Women’s Association United, a feminist organization, called on the government to ensure that the abortion pill is covered by the national health insurance system.