Campaign Underway Against Abortion

A poster by the Korean Gynecological Physicians’ Association features conceived fetuses. The phrases ask pregnant women to not remove their fetuses because they all deserve the “dignity to live.”

/ Courtesy of Korean Gynecological Physicians’ Association

Number of Illegal Abortions Exceeds 1.5 Million a Year

By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

A group of more than 700 obstetricians sent promotional posters to 3,400 physicians nationwide Friday to urge them to participate in abolishing illegal procedures.

The group held a rally Sunday in front of Seoul Station and said it would reveal the names of clinics participating in their campaign online at www.antidc.org.

The Korean Gynecological Physicians' Association (GYNOB) claimed that all abortions should be banned except in cases where the woman is in danger of dying if she were to give birth.

"The moment the fetus is conceived, it has life. Its life should be respected like any other human beings in all circumstances," Anna Choi, the spokeswoman for the group and chief director of Ion Clinic, said. GYNOB previously said it would report clinics that conduct abortions to the government from next year.

Currently, abortion is permitted in limited circumstances: pregnancies through incest or rape, critical threats to the mother's life and highly fatal genetic illnesses that are likely to be inherited. The procedure is allowed only during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Healthy women who undergo elective abortions face up to one year in prison or a fine of 2 million won. Doctors performing the abortion may face up to two years in prison.

However, Rep. Chang Yoon-seok of the ruling Grand National Party said during a National Assembly inspection in October, that the number of illegal abortions exceeds 1.5 million a year but fewer than five doctors have been indicted for performing them.

Chang's figure is far higher than the 340,000 illegal abortions estimated by the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs. The figure could be the highest in the world, Chang said.

Choi said that the doctors performing the operations should be so ashamed of such claims that they should come clean about the "unethical issue."

She said the group has also asked the government to increase subsidies for single mothers by 10 times, cover all medical expenses for babies with disabilities and prioritize pregnant women's health and welfare regardless of their marital status.

However, it still remains to be seen whether GYNOB's struggle will be effective. Since abortion has always been a hot topic of debate, the welfare ministry has yet to show visible support for the campaign.

The Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (KAOG) also hasn't spoken much about the movement. The group's spokesman said that whistle-blowing doctors forcing their members to cease performing abortions isn't the fundamental solution to illegal abortions.

"We are all against abortion. But there are different stories under different circumstances and leaving all the responsibility to the doctor isn't fair," Park No-jun, head of the organization, was quoted as saying.

According to the National Health Insurance Corporation, the number of obstetrical clinics fell from 1,907 in 2005 to 1,669 in 2008.

Many experts point to the low birthrate as the cause for the decrease but others say it has something to do with procedural difficulties and the possibility of litigation. The KAOG estimates that only 66 percent of the clinics can handle childbirth.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr

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