South Korea's president calls for legal abortion pill distribution

South Korea President Lee Jae Myung said last week that the government should explore ways to allow abortion pill distribution in the country. Though abortion was decriminalized in the country in 2019, no framework or guidelines currently exist for legal abortion pill distribution.

Key Takeaways:

• South Korea President Lee Jae Myung is calling for legal guidelines to allow abortion pill distribution.

• Several government agencies are in talks to create such guidelines.

• Though abortion was decriminalized in South Korea in 2019, legislative guidelines to create a framework for legal abortion have stalled.

• The abortion pill is always deadly for preborn children and also has risks for their mothers.

The Details:

Last week during a Cabinet meeting, President Lee noted that since South Korean women are ordering abortion pills from overseas, legal guidelines should be established so they can access mifepristone (the abortion pill) instead in their own country.

“Even if it creates some difficulties for the government, women should be able to receive the medication under appropriate medical supervision. Leaving the situation as it is now is irresponsible,” Lee said, according to The Korea Times.

On Thursday, a spokesperson from the Gender Equality and Family Ministry said the group is working with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to discuss ways to introduce abortion pill guidelines.

“The law does not clearly define the scope or time limits for medication-induced abortions, creating practical difficulties in reviewing the drug’s efficacy, safety and risk management plan,” an MFDS official said. “As the need for its introduction continues to be raised, we plan to continue discussions with the health ministry and the gender ministry.”

The Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has lobbied against the introduction of the abortion pill without medical guidelines or oversight, arguing that is “is a dangerous idea that threatens women’s health.” The group said that distributing the dangerous chemicals without "safety guidance and a proper distribution system" risks “turning the public into subjects of a dangerous experiment.”

The Backstory:

Abortion was decriminalized in South Korea in 2019, but the government has been unable to formulate any laws or guidelines to govern abortion procedures.

As The Korea Times reports:

Several bills to revise the Maternal and Child Health Act are currently pending in the National Assembly. The bills vary in how they would set gestational limits, counseling requirements and rules governing medication abortions, but each seeks to fill the legal vacuum left by the Constitutional Court’s 2019 ruling.

Because of the legislative "vacuum," previous efforts to regulate abortion pill distribution have also stalled.

Why It Matters:

The abortion pill is deadly to preborn children, and carries risks for their mothers.

One analysis stated that serious adverse events from mifepristone occur at a rate approximately 22 times higher than the rate reported on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) label for the drug. The report, “The Abortion Pill Harms Women,” published by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), states that nearly 11% of women (10.93%) experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or other serious or life-threatening adverse events following a mifepristone abortion — meaning one in ten women experience at least one serious complication from taking mifepristone within 45 days.

 Other studies have shown that the abortion pill is four times more dangerous than a first-trimester surgical abortion.

The Bottom Line:

Despite the South Korean government's call to find a way for "safe" distribution of the abortion pill, there is no instance in which this deadly chemical — which results in the destruction of innocent human life — is safe.