(LifeSiteNews) — 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 set to change.
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 decriminalized 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.
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“The CBCK voices deep concerns as this measure would only institutionalize abortion in an ‘orderly’ manner, without changing its fundamental nature, while allowing a disregard for life to be more deeply rooted in our society,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea said in statement on Wednesday. The CBCK called the plan a “road map” to normalize abortion, and emphasized that the abortion pill always kills a human being.
Instead, the Catholic bishops called on the government to work towards building a social safety net to support women in crisis pregnancies, including medical, housing, and counseling support. “We eagerly ask the government and the National Assembly to deeply contemplate this and choose a path that both protects life while practically helping women,” the CBCK stated.
Protestant Koreans concurred. “Rather than a policy that expands accessibility for abortion, the government and the National Assembly should make a social environment where pregnant women do not have to give up on life,” the United Christian Churches of Korea said in a statement. The UCCK also emphasized that abortion pills end the lives of preborn children and constitute health risks to the mothers taking them.
“We strongly oppose the ‘introduction of phased abortion-inducing drugs’ that disregards the legal framework for the protection of life,” the Korean Christian Federation added. “Drugs that terminate the life of a fetus while posing a serious risk to women’s health must not be treated as a mere matter of choice and convenience. The National Assembly must promptly establish a legal regulatory framework regarding abortion based on the principle of protecting the life of the fetus.”
“The government and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety must stop pushing for the institutional introduction of abortion drugs. The government and the National Assembly should create a social environment where pregnant women do not have to give up their lives, rather than pursuing policies that expand access to abortion.”
