Abortion Pill Restrictions Lifted... What About Minors?

[Anchor]

Seven years after the Constitutional Court ruled the abortion ban unconstitutional, the government has officially announced plans to introduce abortion pills. Women up to nine weeks pregnant are expected to be able to use them as early as early next year, but the government decided to further review whether minors will require parental consent.

Reporter Park Ha-jeong reports.

[Reporter]

Seven years after the decision that punishing abortion goes against the Constitution, the government has decided to introduce abortion pills.

Although alternative legislation has still not been enacted, the stance is that the infringement on women's safety and right to health due to the underground distribution of drugs can no longer be ignored.

[Han Sung-sook / Prime Minister: So that women in need can receive treatment within a safe medical system without relying on unverified methods....]

Drugs containing the same active ingredient as "Mifegyne," an abortion pill permitted in 101 countries worldwide, have already been applied for approval in South Korea.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which has been reviewing the applications, stated that it aims for introduction in the first quarter of next year, taking into account the time needed to secure supplies.

While the World Health Organization views abortion pills as usable up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, South Korea plans to allow prescriptions for women within nine weeks of pregnancy.

[Shin Jun-su / Director General for Pharmaceutical Safety, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety: Because (the drug applied for domestically) underwent clinical trials targeting patients within nine weeks, based on the clinical trial results....]

Regarding pharmacies, since the criminal punishment for abortion has not been abolished and to further enhance safety, hospitals will both prescribe and dispense the medication for the first two years.

When the pharmaceutical company applied for approval of the abortion pill, there was no age criterion.

Consequently, minors are also expected to be able to receive prescriptions, but it has not been decided whether parental consent will be mandatory for the prescription.

The government's position is to review the matter cautiously by examining the overall youth protection system and other factors.

[Won Min-kyung / Minister of Gender Equality and Family: In the case of adolescence, we believe special psychological and emotional support will be necessary. We will ensure this is well reflected in the guidelines....]

The government stated that it will review whether to apply National Health Insurance if the pharmaceutical company makes a request.

Women's groups welcomed the move as a "meaningful step forward" while also arguing that women's access to the medication needs to be further improved, such as raising the gestational age limit. Meanwhile, religious circles argued that the protection of life comes first and forewarned of a lawsuit seeking to cancel the drug approval.

(Photo: Cho Choon-dong, Video Editing: Kim Ho-jin, Design: Yeji)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.