The Ministry of Justice is planning to come up with an amendment to the criminal law in the form of government legislation to abolish abortion crimes.

This is because the Gender Equality Policy Committee (policy committee), an advisory body of the Ministry of Justice, decided on the 12th to make a recommendation to remove the abortion clause from the criminal law regardless of the number of weeks of pregnancy, and to amend the law in the direction of guaranteeing women's reproductive rights.


Earlier, the Constitutional Court made a decision to disagree with the Constitution under Article 269, Paragraph 1 and Article 270, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, which stated in April of last year, "Punish a woman and a doctor who had an abortion." I saw that this criminal law violates the constitution by violating women's right to self-determination.

Accordingly, Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae sought advice from the policy committee by collecting opinions from women and others, and it is reported that the policy committee held two extraordinary meetings to prepare the contents of the recommendations.

The policy committee also emphasized the importance of the state's role in securing women's reproductive rights, breaking away from the paradigm of'the right to life of the fetus vs. women's right to self-determination' in the abortion debate.

A member of the policy committee said, "When a woman decides to stop pregnancy, she considers the child's rearing environment and life, but it is not appropriate to exclude this and emphasize only'biological life'." "Contemplating support measures within the framework of decriminalization is the right to life. Is to interpret more comprehensively.”

The policy committee completes the recommendations and submits them to the Ministry of Justice by the 17th, and the recommendations are expected to be released as early as next week.

This is'News Pick'.