{"id":200148,"date":"2019-04-11T23:50:30","date_gmt":"2019-04-12T04:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=200148"},"modified":"2019-04-12T00:08:20","modified_gmt":"2019-04-12T05:08:20","slug":"south-korean-court-abortion-ban-unconstitutional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/south-korean-court-abortion-ban-unconstitutional\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea court rules that the country’s abortion ban is unconstitutional"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The South Korean Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that the country’s ban on abortion is unconstitutional.<\/p>\n

For 66 years, abortion has been illegal in South Korea except for discriminatory reasons such as in the cases of rape, incest, or when either of the parents has a genetic health condition, according to The Associated Press<\/a>. It is also legal in cases where the mother’s life is in danger — however, abortion is never actually necessary<\/a> for this reason.<\/p>\n

Under the current law, a woman who obtains an illegal abortion can face a punishment of up to one year in prison and the abortionist can get up to two years in prison. Convictions, however, are rare, according to the AP.\u00a0The South Korean Constitutional Court ruled that the parliament must revise the law to lift some of the restrictions on abortion by the end of 2020. If new legislation is not created by that time, the law will be repealed.<\/p>\n

The case behind the ruling is a February 2017 appeal by an obstetrician charged with committing 70 illegal abortions. This doctor, who stands to make money off of legal abortion, claimed the abortion law violates his right to pursue happiness<\/em>.<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0South Korean pastor\u2019s \u2018drop box\u2019 saves hundreds of unwanted, but \u2018perfect\u2019 lives<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n