20s Woman Uploads 36-Week Pregnant Vlog
Deletes Video Amid Growing Controversy...
Ministry of Health Requests Police Investigation for Murder Charges
Recently, a woman in her 20s, identified as Ms. A, posted a vlog (V-log) video showing that she underwent an abortion procedure at 9 months pregnant (36 weeks), sparking controversy. The government has requested a police investigation on charges including murder.
On the 15th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) announced that on the 12th, it filed a petition with the police requesting an investigation into YouTuber Ms. A and the doctor who performed the surgery on charges of murder.
Earlier, on the 27th of last month, Ms. A uploaded a video titled "Total surgery cost 9 million won, 120 hours like hell" on her YouTube channel, claiming that she underwent an abortion surgery at 36 weeks of pregnancy. Claiming to be a 24-year-old woman, Ms. A said, "Around March, when my period stopped, I visited an obstetrics and gynecology clinic and was told I had polycystic ovary syndrome and hormonal imbalance, so I didn’t suspect anything and thought I had just gained a lot of weight, but it turned out I was pregnant." She added, "I visited several obstetrics and gynecology clinics, but all of them said (abortion surgery) was impossible," and filmed herself undergoing the abortion surgery at a hospital that accepted her.
Ms. A’s video caused a huge controversy on online communities and social networking services (SNS). Normally, childbirth occurs between 38 and 40 weeks, and the abortion at 36 weeks was criticized as "fetal murder." Netizens also reacted with comments such as, "At 36 weeks, the eyes, nose, and mouth would all be formed," "She must have felt fetal movements, so it’s unbelievable she didn’t know," "This seems like a deliberate attempt to defame the young woman and the doctor," and "Her belly was that big, and she just thought it was weight gain? That sounds like a lie."
No Amendments Since Constitutional Court’s Unconstitutionality Ruling on Abortion Law... Reckless Abortions Exist
Under the current Maternal and Child Health Act Enforcement Decree, artificial abortion surgery is only allowed within 24 weeks of pregnancy, and only in cases where the pregnant woman or her spouse has a genetic disease, or if the pregnancy resulted from rape, or if continuing the pregnancy seriously endangers the mother's health. However, in 2019, the Constitutional Court ruled the criminal law provisions punishing all abortions unconstitutional and ordered the law to be amended by 2020. Since no substitute legislation has been enacted yet, there is effectively no punishment.
In response, the MOHW stated that it referred to court precedents applying murder charges to doctors who aborted 34-week fetuses and requested an investigation on murder charges. A MOHW official said, "We filed a petition with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to verify the facts, such as whether the abortion actually took place, and to receive a legal judgment," adding, "Although a doctor prosecuted for abortion of a 34-week fetus was acquitted of the crime of abortion on request but was found guilty of murder, we referred to that precedent."
Meanwhile, as the controversy grew, Ms. A deleted the abortion vlog. This was due to suspicions on SNS that the video was a "jjakjak" (fake video). However, even after deleting the video, she appeared nonchalant in other videos, such as making a cake in underwear and boiling pork in the bathroom, so the controversy does not seem to subside easily.
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