The government's decision to formally introduce the abortion pill mifepristone is drawing a sharp response. Concerns have surfaced over the plan to limit prescriptions and dispensing to medical institutions for two years, with critics warning of gaps in access depending on where women live. Women's groups and some in the medical community expressed hope that medication abortion, long delayed since the Constitutional Court ruled in 2019 that criminal abortion provisions were unconstitutional, will finally become available. The Catholic Church and other religious groups are pushing back strongly, arguing the move could encourage a disregard for human life.
According to industry and government sources on the 17th, the government plans to introduce mifepristone in the first quarter of next year after product review and approval. The drug, previously circulated only through unofficial channels, will enter the national health care system eight years after the 2019 constitutional ruling. It can be used within nine weeks of pregnancy. For the first two years, doctors must prescribe and dispense the drug directly to allow for safety management and monitoring.
Prescriptions and Dispensing Only at Medical Institutions Raise Access Gap Concerns
Some in the field warn that the rule requiring in-house prescription and dispensing during the first two years could itself become a barrier. They note that obstetrics and gynecology clinics are unevenly distributed across the country, meaning access could vary widely by region if the drug can be obtained only at medical institutions.
Na Young, head of the Center for Sexual Rights and Reproductive Justice SHARE, said, "Outside Seoul, there are few obstetrics and gynecology clinics." She added, "To go during hospital hours, you have to take half a day off or leave work early, and most people do not have the time to sit through a consultation and then wait for a prescription."
Women's Groups Call It a Good Way to Ease the Burden
Women's groups and some health care organizations welcomed the formal domestic introduction of the abortion pill. Seo Eun-sol, head of the drug policy division at the Pharmacists for Democratic Society, said, "The fact that an abortion-inducing drug is being introduced is welcome news in itself." Seo added, "We have waited a very long time."
Ordinary citizens also voiced hope that the drug will widen the range of options. A woman in her 20s surnamed Lee said, "If it does not strain the body, I think it is a good way to reduce the burden on women." She added, "But it seems important to put in place a proper system to protect those who receive the prescription."
Catholic Church Says the Drug Kills Human Life in the Womb
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, responding a day earlier to the government's formal announcement, said it expressed "deep concern that this merely institutionalizes abortion in an 'orderly' manner without changing its essence in the slightest, and instead roots a disregard for life more deeply in our society."
The conference added, "This drug kills human life inside the womb," and said, "We earnestly appeal to the government and the National Assembly to reconsider this plan and choose a path that protects life while genuinely helping women."
