Only for ‘naughty girls’: Stigma lingers after South Korea abortion ban overturned

Only for 'naughty girls': Stigma lingers after South Korea abortion ban overturned

by Beh Lih Yi
Thomson Reuters Foundation
Apr 19, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR - South Korea is set to legalize abortion after a decadeslong ban was struck down, but women’s rights campaigners have warned those who undergo the procedure will still be “punished in the eyes of society.”

In a landmark verdict last week, a South Korean court ruled the ban — which dates from 1953 — unconstitutional and asked the government to legalize abortion by the end of 2020.

Continued: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/04/19/asia-pacific/social-issues-asia-pacific/naughty-girls-stigma-lingers-south-korea-abortion-ban-overturned/#.XLn5YaR7lPY

South Korea overturns abortion ban in ‘major step forward’ for women’s rights

South Korea overturns abortion ban in ‘major step forward’ for women’s rights
Constitutional court says ban infringes a woman’s ‘right of self-determination’

Adam Withnall and Maya Oppenheim
April 11, 2019

South Korea’s decades-long ban on abortion is unconstitutional, the country’s highest court has ruled, in a landmark decision that paves the way for anti-abortion regulations to be scrapped.

The ban infringed a woman’s “right of self-determination”, the constitutional court said in its ruling, ordering the government to draw up legislation to ease the rules by the end of 2020.

Continued: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/south-korea-abortion-ban-court-ruling-constitution-seoul-a8864501.html

11.04.2019

Amnesty International

Moon Jae-in

Roseann Rife

South Korea abortion law

South Korea Constitutional Court

South Korea must end abortion ban by 2020, says court

April 11, 2019

South Korea's ban on abortion has been ruled unconstitutional in a historic court decision. The country's constitutional court ordered that the law must be revised by the end of 2020.

Under the 1953 ban, women who have abortions can be fined and imprisoned, except in cases of rape, incest or risk to their health. Doctors who perform the procedure can also face jail.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47890065

11.04.2019

Amnesty International

Human Rights Watch

Moon Jae-in

South Korea abortion law

South Korea Constitutional Court

South Korea’s top court says abortion ban must end

South Korea's top court says abortion ban must end

By Victoria Kim
Apr 11, 2019

Sim Og-youn quietly stood on the sidelines as rival groups of protesters grew louder in their chants for and against South Korea’s longstanding laws against abortion.

“Abortion is murder!” those on one side cried, some with young children in tow with signs saying they’d recently been fetuses themselves. “Guarantee reproductive rights,” those across the driveway demanded on a competing sound system.

Continued: https://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-south-korea-abortion-ban-ruling-20190411-story.html

South Korea’s nascent feminist movement turns to abortion ban

South Korea's nascent feminist movement turns to abortion ban
Women have continued to access abortion illegally in defiance of 65-year-old law

Benjamin Haas in Seoul
Sun 11 Nov 2018

Kim Soo-jin will never forget the disgusting taste of the pulpy green-brown traditional Korean brew she drank in the hopes of ending her pregnancy, or the night she spent in pain, curled into a ball and unable to move.

The recipe her roommate found on the internet was an attempt to sidestep South Korea’s 65-year ban on abortions, but in the end it did not work and Kim, a 21-year-old student at the time, was forced to go to a clinic a week later for an illegal surgical procedure.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/11/south-koreans-nascent-feminist-movement-turns-to-abortion-ban