Legislative Gap in Abortion Law for 2 Years and 8 Months... "Burden of Medical Costs"

78% of Abortion Experiencees Say "Cost is Burdensome"
Purchasing Medicines Online and Offline for Self-Abortion
Women's Health Threatened by Lack of Alternative Legislation

On the 2nd, in front of the Jongno Police Station in Seoul, a press conference titled "Condemning the Police for Gagging Women's Voices" was held, hosted by the Joint Action for the Abolition of Abortion Laws for All. The Joint Action condemned the police for summoning the co-executive committee members who held the abortion law press conference on charges of violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act, demanding the complete abolition of abortion laws and the guarantee of sexual and reproductive rights. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The legislative gap regarding abortion has been prolonged. Although it has been 2 years and 8 months since the Constitutional Court ruled the law unconstitutional, the alternative legislation prepared by the government has exceeded the deadline, leaving the situation neither legal nor illegal.

Although the government announced that it would expedite the approval and review process for introducing abortion medication, there has been no clear outcome. In July last year, Hyundai Pharm applied to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for approval of the oral abortion pill "Mifjimisso," but due to opposition from obstetricians and religious groups, approval has not yet been granted.

Due to various circumstances, women who need to undergo abortion are purchasing illegal drugs online and offline and performing self-induced abortions.

The legislative gap is leading to a financial burden for medical expenses. According to a survey conducted last year by the Korea Institute for Gender Equality Promotion and Education targeting 602 women who experienced abortion within five years, 77.9% responded that the medical expenses (including surgery and medication) incurred during the abortion process were burdensome. Among respondents who had abortions between 2020 and 2021, 41.4% said the burden was very heavy. 40% of those who had experienced abortion more than twice reported that their medical expenses had significantly increased compared to their first abortion.

The cost of abortion surgery is estimated to be between 600,000 and 800,000 KRW on average, but the proportion of respondents who said the cost was between 800,000 and 1,000,000 KRW was higher among those who experienced abortion in 2021 (40.0%) than those in 2016-2017 (15.6%).

The average time when pregnancy was recognized was 5.65 weeks, and the average time of abortion was 7.08 weeks. The reasons for the delay of more than one week were lack of information about medical institutions that perform abortion surgery (34.7%), need for partner’s consent (31.7%), refusal by medical institutions to perform abortion (18.3%), lack or insufficiency of abortion costs (17.8%), and burden of social stigma (12.4%). Even when women manage to visit obstetricians, procedures are sometimes refused due to doctors’ personal beliefs, and primary hospitals generally only perform abortions within 7 weeks.

Seventy-six percent of women who experienced abortion said that health insurance coverage for abortion surgery or medication methods is necessary. Additionally, 73.4% agreed that uniform health insurance coverage is needed to prevent medical institutions from autonomously setting medical fees.

The longer the absence of alternative legislation continues, the further women are from safe abortion. There are calls for revising existing laws or introducing new laws such as the Basic Act on Sexual and Reproductive Health.

Kim Dong-sik, senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Gender Equality Promotion and Education, explained, "Because abortion was criminalized, abortions were conducted secretly, and women had to receive medical services where they could afford them. This situation remains the same even after the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the unconstitutionality of the abortion law. Medical institutions autonomously set abortion surgery fees, resulting in wide disparities depending on region and patient, and the financial burden is heavier for young people such as adolescents and low-income groups. To improve medical access, it is necessary to apply health insurance to all medical uses including medication and expand it as universal public healthcare."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.