Gov't push with anti-abortion laws triggers opposition movement online

Activists cheer outside the Constitutional Court in Seoul after its ruling that the current anti-abortion laws are unconstitutional on April 11, 2019. Korea Times file

By Kim Se-jeong

The Korean government's current focus on abortion laws has triggered women here to launch an online movement under the hashtag #IHadAnAbortion.

"I had an abortion. Because it is a crime in Korea, I never talked in public about how I dealt with my unwanted pregnancy and what I had to endure after having the abortion. Now I will do so without hesitation! #IHadAnAbortion" Lee Lang, an independent music singer-songwriter, wrote on Twitter recently in Korean.

Lee-Kil Bora, a movie director, also tweeted, "I also had an abortion. It's 2020. Are you still talking about abortion as a crime? I send my support to those who have had a similar experience. #IHadAnAbortion."

Many other women also came forward on social media talking about their experiences and condemning the government's recent move.

On Oct. 7, the Ministry of Justice made a proposal to allow abortion until 14 weeks in all cases and up to 24 weeks in cases of severe birth and genetic defects, health concerns for the mother or in relation to sex crimes and incest.

Korean women responded to the proposal with fury that the proposal still criminalizes abortion and demanded the related clause be removed from the laws.

Opposition to the government's move is also being seen on other online platforms.

On the National Assembly website, as of Friday, more than 41,000 people have endorsed a petition asking to abolish anti-abortion laws and enact new laws to grant women the right to make their own choices.

Prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun, who triggered the #MeToo movement in Korea and is a significant individual in the women's rights movement in Korea, wrote on Facebook: "The proposal which still punishes women for abortion is unconstitutional."

In April last year, Korea's Constitutional Court said the current anti-abortion laws are unconstitutional and ordered the government to revise the laws by the end of this year.

After the Constitutional Court's ruling, hopes were high among Korean women that abortion would be legalized after it first appeared in the nation's laws in the 1950s. But the Oct. 3 proposal came as a disappointment to many women and women's rights activists who were expecting legalization.

Despite criminalizing abortion, abortions are still performed in Korea.

According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, around 50,000 abortions were performed in 2017. Women's rights groups claimed the figure was underrepresented and that the real number could be much higher. The institute also said the estimate in 2005 was much higher at 350,000.

Site Map E-paper Subscribe Register LogIn
Site Map E-paper Subscribe Register LogIn