Government Pushes to Introduce Abortion Pills for Pregnancies Up to 9 Weeks

[Anchor]

Seven years after the Constitutional Court ruled the punishment for abortion unconstitutional, the government is pushing to officially introduce abortion pills. Medication use is expected to be permitted for pregnancies of up to 9 weeks, as early as next year.

Reporter Jeong Banseok has the details.

[Reporter]
The government held a national policy coordination meeting today (16th) and announced that it will officially pursue the introduction of abortion pills.

This comes seven years after the Constitutional Court ruled that punishing abortion is unconstitutional.

[Han Sung-sook / Prime Minister: Going forward, we intend to discuss plans to introduce abortion pills in stages for pregnancies of 9 weeks or less.]

Until now, abortion pills such as Mifegyne failed to receive government approval on the grounds that alternative legislation had not been enacted, leaving women to rely on dangerous drugs.

[Cabinet Meeting (July): By leaving it neglected outside the law, the government may evade responsibility, but the public is put in danger.]

The Ministry of Government Legislation opened the way for its introduction last month by issuing an interpretation that abortion pills can be approved even before a revision of the law.

The government plans to allow the use of abortion pills strictly for early pregnancies within 9 weeks. For the first two years, hospitals will be required to both prescribe and dispense the medication, after which it will be expanded to a system where doctors prescribe and pharmacies dispense.

According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, oral abortion pills were permitted in 101 countries worldwide as of 2024.

[Won Min-kyung / Minister of Gender Equality and Family: This is significant in that it improves upon the situation where a practical national management system has been absent since the abolition of the abortion crime, and ensures that pregnancy terminations can be carried out more safely under the national medical system.]

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated that it will thoroughly review the safety, efficacy, and quality of abortion pills and do its utmost to introduce the medication within the first quarter of next year.

(Video Editing: Kim Ho-jin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.