In South Korea, asking forgiveness for abortion

I’m trying to imagine something like this happening in the United States: In South Korea, dozens of doctors held a press conference where they publicly asked for forgiveness for performing illegal abortions.

“We sold our soul for money,” said Dr. Choi. “Abortion was an easy way to make money.”

In a country where abortion is both widespread and, with few exceptions, against the law, Dr. Choi and Dr. Shim are hoping to force South Korea’s first serious public discussion of the ethics of the procedure. . . .

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“Abortion is murder,” said Dr. Park Sung-chul, an obstetrician and Gynob member.

One professor explains that abortion has never before been a hot-button issue in Korea as it’s considered a family matter, and therefore taboo to discuss in public. While South Korea technically has stringent abortion regulations, the government turned a blind eye toward the “open secret” of illegal abortion, as a high birthrate was seen as an “impediment to economic growth,” and large families, unpatriotic.

But that government interference has lead to a predictable scenario:

South Korea’s fertility rate, which stood at 4.5 children per woman in the 1970s, had fallen to 1.19 children by 2008 — one of the lowest in the world. The government fears that the recent financial downturn may have depressed it further, and that the country’s rapidly aging population will undercut the economy’s viability. . . .

Ms. Jeon added that any crackdown [on illegal abortion] should be coupled with an increase in medical fees. The government cap on payments for medical services is thought to have encouraged doctors to perform off-the-books, and potentially far more lucrative, services like illegal abortions.

There are sad social pressures at work here, too:

A bias for boys and against the disabled led to the widespread practice of aborting female fetuses or those with physiological defects, said Choi Sung-jae, a professor of social welfare at Seoul National University. A stigma against unwed mothers, women’s increasing participation in the work force and the high cost of education are also seen as contributing to the trend.

Read the whole thing here. As always, there’s quite a bit tied up in the issue; those doctors have their work cut out for them, but they should be congratulated for making a courageous first step.

 

Author

  • Margaret Cabaniss

    Margaret Cabaniss is the former managing editor of Crisis Magazine. She joined Crisis in 2002 after graduating from the University of the South with a degree in English Literature and currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland. She now blogs at SlowMama.com.

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