Stricter Enforcement of South Korean Abortion Laws Limits Access for Many Women

March 19, 2010 — South Korea has experienced a dramatic shift toward increased government enforcement of antiabortion laws, which has limited the number of ob-gyns who are willing to perform abortions and significantly increased the cost of the procedure, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. In 1953, South Korea outlawed abortion except in cases of rape, incest or severe genetic disorders. However, for many years, officials "turned a blind eye," as South Korea pushed to limit population growth, according to the AP/Chronicle.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced a hotline for citizens to report physicians who perform abortions and women who seek the procedure. Under the new policy, abortion providers face a $2,000 fine, two years in prison and loss of their medical license, while women face a $2,000 fine and one year in prison after three convictions. According to women's rights activist Kim Doo-na, unintended pregnancies are a major issue in South Korea because there is a lack of education about contraception. Previously, a South Korean woman could obtain an abortion at nearly any ob-gyn clinic in the nation for about $300. The AP/Chronicle reports that some clinics now charge $1,000 to $2,000, and some ask patients to sign waivers freeing the provider from liability. Many ob-gyns have stopped offering abortion services, and a few have continued to offer the procedure but do not advertise it, the AP/Chronicle reports.

Sociologist Cho Byong-hee of Seoul National University said that the earlier policy of condoning abortion as a means of limiting population growth might have been too successful. According to the Korean Statistical Information Service, South Korea now has the world's lowest birth rate -- 1.15 children per woman in 2009. The government denies a connection between the increased enforcement of antiabortion laws and the country's low birth rate. Rhee Won-hee, chief of the health ministry's Family Support Division, said, "The comprehensive plan is to fight rampant disrespect for the sanctity of life" (Yoon, AP/Houston Chronicle, 3/17).