4 in 10 Say "Women Should Be Able to Have an Abortion at Any Time If They Wish"

Korean Society of Maternal and Child Health Survey on Individual Perceptions

It has been found that 4 out of 10 people believe that a woman should be able to undergo an induced abortion at any stage of pregnancy based on her own judgment.

On October 19, the Korean Society of Maternal and Child Health announced the results of a survey conducted as part of a research project commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The survey, carried out last year, asked 402 people nationwide aged 15 to 49 (300 women and 102 men) about their perceptions of induced abortion.

When asked about their views on induced abortion, 44.6% of women and 44.1% of men responded that "a woman should be able to have an induced abortion at any stage of pregnancy based on her own judgment and choice." Meanwhile, 36.6% of women and 34.3% of men answered that "even if induced abortion is not fully permitted, it should be allowed if there is a justifiable reason."

Responses to the question of who should have the authority to decide on an induced abortion differed by gender. More than half of the women (68.6%) answered that the pregnant woman herself should be the main decision-maker, whereas only 41.2% of men agreed. In contrast, 24.3% of women and 42.1% of men said that the decision should be made through the agreement of both the pregnant woman and her male partner.

Regarding the gestational age at which induced abortion should be allowed upon the woman's request, the most common response among both men and women was "before 10 weeks" at 30.9%. This was followed by "before 14 weeks" at 24.1%, and "at any time upon the woman's request" at 20.2%. Breaking it down by gender, men most frequently chose "before 14 weeks" (30.3%), followed by "before 10 weeks" (24.5%), and "before 22 weeks" (21.5%). The response "should be allowed at any time upon the woman's request" was the lowest among men at 8.8%. Among women, the order was "before 10 weeks" (33.0%), "at any time upon the woman's request" (24%), "before 14 weeks" (22.0%), and "before 22 weeks" (11.6%).

When asked whether a doctor's prescription should be required for the use of abortion-inducing medication, 86.3% of women and 72.5% of men agreed. Regarding whether doctors should have the right to refuse to perform induced abortions, 63.6% of women and 51.9% of men responded affirmatively.

When asked about alternative terms for "abortion" in the Criminal Act and "induced abortion" in the Maternal and Child Health Act, the most commonly suggested terms among both men and women were "induced abortion" (22.9%), "pregnancy termination" (14.9%), "pregnancy discontinuation" (13.2%), "artificial pregnancy discontinuation" (11.7%), and "artificial pregnancy termination" (11.2%). The term "abortion" accounted for 8.5%.