Busan City to Strengthen Support for Pregnant Women in Crisis in Line with Special Act Enforcement

Special Act on Support for Crisis Pregnancy, Protected Birth, and Child Protection Enforced

Maria Maternity Home (located in Seo-gu) Designated and Operated as Regional Counseling Center for Women in Crisis Pregnancy

Busan City will strengthen support for women experiencing crisis pregnancies by establishing a public-private cooperation system in line with the nationwide implementation of the "Special Act on Support for Crisis Pregnancy, Protected Birth, and Child Protection" starting from the 19th.

Guidance on Crisis Pregnancy and Safe Delivery System.

'Crisis pregnant women' refers to those who have experienced unintended pregnancies or are facing difficulties with childbirth or childrearing due to economic, psychological, or physical reasons.

First, the city has designated "Maria Motherhood Center" located in Seo-gu as the dedicated "local counseling institution" for supporting crisis pregnant women, which will begin full-scale operation from the 19th.

Maria Motherhood Center is a welfare facility for single-parent families that supports childbirth. It not only offers residential support for single mothers but also provides counseling and resource linkage services for single mothers and crisis pregnant women.

To ensure smooth implementation of the system, the city conducted simulation training and a pilot operation with the local counseling institution and cooperative delivery medical institutions from July 5 to 10.

In addition, 24-hour counseling support is available for crisis pregnant women in need. Counseling can be accessed at any time via phone or through KakaoTalk with the local counseling institution for crisis pregnant women, and all counseling content is strictly confidential.

If a crisis pregnant woman requests counseling from the local counseling institution, she will first receive sufficient counseling on childbirth and childrearing support to enable parenting in her original family. If she still wishes to proceed with a protected birth, she can receive pseudonymous medical treatment and childbirth at a medical institution using a non-identifiable computerized management number.

Counseling and information will also be provided to protect children born through protected birth. Even after a protected birth, there will be a minimum seven-day deliberation period, after which the local government head will become the child's guardian and carry out child protection procedures such as adoption, foster care, or institutional care.

In particular, the local counseling institution for crisis pregnant women will support the entire process, from initial counseling for those who lack information and support during pregnancy and have difficulty preparing for childbirth, to helping women who decide to raise their child after giving birth.

On the 18th, a meeting was held to clarify the roles and strengthen the cooperation system between the local counseling institution for crisis pregnant women and public-private partner organizations in supporting crisis pregnant women and child protection.

The meeting was attended by the city, Seo-gu, cooperative delivery medical institutions such as Guse Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kosin University Gospel Hospital, Seo-gu Family Center, Seo-gu Mental Health Welfare Center, and Busan Child Welfare Association. They agreed on the necessity of support measures and mutual cooperation for crisis pregnant women and child protection, and pledged to work together to ensure the successful implementation of the system.

Crisis Pregnancy and Safe Delivery Support System.

Woo Miok, Director of the Women's and Family Affairs Bureau of the city, stated, "We will do our utmost to provide systematic support from early pregnancy to childbirth and childrearing so that the first call for help from a crisis pregnant woman is not her last, ensuring the safety and protection of both the woman and the child."