Democratic Party Considering Compromise Plan to Maintain Abortion Crime Law... Main Points Include Abolishing Punishment and Easing Gestational Limits

Representatives from the Basic Income Party and Everyone's Feminism are holding a press conference on the stairs of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 19th, condemning the Ministry of Health and Welfare's amendment to the Maternal and Child Health Act.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Amid ongoing debates over the government's stance on 'maintaining the abortion law,' the Democratic Party of Korea has begun considering a compromise plan.

The specific outline is reported to involve deleting all penal provisions related to abortion in the Criminal Act, which the Constitutional Court has ruled as unconstitutional, and instead including a minimum gestational week limit in the Maternal and Child Health Act.

On the 25th, a policy committee official stated, "We plan to merge the bill proposed by Democratic Party lawmaker Park Ju-min, which will be submitted soon, with the government’s proposal for review."

The legislative notice on the Criminal Act and Maternal and Child Health Act announced by the government earlier this month allows abortion up to 14 weeks of early pregnancy and permits abortion up to 24 weeks of mid-pregnancy in cases of genetic disorders, sexual crimes, or socio-economic reasons.

However, the penal provisions in the Criminal Act remained unchanged, sparking strong opposition mainly from women's groups.

The amendment bill prepared by lawmaker Park Ju-min is known to have been adjusted to delete all abortion-related provisions in the Criminal Act and to include certain standards such as gestational weeks in the Maternal and Child Health Act.

Park has previously argued for the decriminalization of abortion, stating that the government’s proposal could rather reinforce the abortion law.

However, she has expressed the view that some restrictions are necessary from the perspective of the mother's health rights and the fetus's right to life, and plans to focus on procedures such as confirming the intention to terminate pregnancy rather than the act of termination itself.

A staff member from Park’s office said, "We are gathering opinions from experts and stakeholders, but there are diverse views, making it difficult to set standards," adding, "The bill will be submitted soon."

Meanwhile, this is not the first time an amendment bill has been proposed within the party in response to the government’s plan. On the 12th, Democratic Party lawmaker Kwon In-sook officially proposed an amendment bill to completely abolish abortion laws in the Criminal Act and Maternal and Child Health Act.

Kwon, a former women's rights activist, appeared on 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 12th and pointed out, "There are factors that cannot be said to be the sole responsibility of women regarding abortion," and criticized, "Calling this act a crime and punishing it with penalties is an entirely different issue."