Amnesty International has condemned the recent conviction of a woman in South Korea who underwent a later-stage abortion, emphasizing that abortion is essential healthcare and a human right under international law. Sarah Brooks, Deputy Regional Director at Amnesty International, stated that the ruling exposes the difficult and unsafe positions faced by pregnant people and medical providers due to the ongoing legal vacuum surrounding abortion in the country.
Brooks highlighted that the National Assembly’s failure to reform abortion laws in line with the Constitutional Court’s 2019 ruling has deprived pregnant people of access to vital healthcare. This lack of regulation forces individuals to navigate exploitative or unregulated medical practices, face undue delays, or risk being denied essential healthcare entirely. She urged the South Korean government to amend the Mother and Child Health Act to remove all barriers that restrict sexual and reproductive health rights.
On 4 March 2026, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced the woman, charged with murder for having a late-term abortion, to three years in prison, suspended for five years, along with 200 hours of community service. The doctor who performed the procedure received a four-year prison sentence, the hospital director was sentenced to six years and fined 1.5 million won (approximately 1,012 USD), and two helpers received prison terms of one year and ten months, with the latter suspended for two years.
The case stems from a 26-year-old woman who terminated a pregnancy at 34 to 36 weeks in June 2024, claiming she had only discovered the pregnancy four days earlier due to a pre-existing medical condition. She shared her experience and hospitalization in a YouTube vlog that went viral, prompting the Ministry of Health and Welfare to commission a police investigation and request “severe punishment.” Prosecutors had sought sentences of up to ten years for the hospital director and six years for the woman and the doctor, with lesser sentences for the supporting staff.
The legal controversy underscores the gap between the Constitutional Court’s 2019 ruling, which deemed the abortion ban unconstitutional and instructed the National Assembly to amend the law by the end of 2020, and the continued absence of a clear regulatory framework. Although abortion has been decriminalized, the failure to implement new regulations has left pregnant people without reliable access to essential healthcare services, perpetuating legal and social risks.
