President Lee: "Mifegyne Should Be Made Available; Government Negligence Is Irresponsible"

President Lee Jae-myung stated regarding the abortion pill Mifegyne, "Even if the government faces some difficulties, we must ensure it can be administered appropriately."

His remarks suggest that until social discussions on the scope of Mifegyne use are concluded and legislative procedures are completed, medical professionals should be granted the discretion to use the medication when necessary.

During the Cabinet meeting he presided over at the Blue House on this day, President Lee said, "It seems that because it is not permitted in our country, women are purchasing it directly from overseas to take it."

President Lee remarked, "Because the debate over abortion laws and the scope of permissible abortion has not ended, and because it is not being permitted, women who realistically need the medication are purchasing it directly from overseas, leading to accidents." He added, "Leaving this unaddressed is not right. For the government to act this way is irresponsible."

When Won Min-kyung, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, suggested that an amendment to the Mother and Child Health Act is necessary, President Lee asked, "Can we not just permit the medication if it is safe?"

President Lee criticized the situation, saying, "Women who realistically need it are in a situation where they cannot purchase or take it, while other countries all permit it. By leaving them outside the law, the government may avoid responsibility, but the public is put at risk."

He further pointed out, "If we say we will do this, in my view, we will not be able to. We will spend our entire term arguing over how many weeks [of pregnancy] it should be allowed."

Regarding the criteria for administration, he said, "Let doctors use their discretion to judge even the number of weeks. Even before that is decided, we could permit the sale of the medication."

He added, "Let us approach this pragmatically. If we set a specific period for legal abortion and allow doctors to prescribe it only within that timeframe, everything would be solved. The problem is that there will be an uproar in society over how many weeks to set."

To the opinion of Minister of Government Legislation Cho Won-chul that alternative legislation is necessary, President Lee suggested holding a meeting of relevant ministries presided over by the Prime Minister for further discussion, emphasizing, "If a vague compromise is better than negligence, we should do it."

He added, "Since the criteria [for the abortion period] may differ depending on the health condition of the pregnant woman, setting it by law does not seem to be an absolute truth. Leaving it to the conscience and discretion of doctors is also one method, and it is better than leaving it unaddressed, which leads to people buying and taking it from overseas without prescriptions."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.