Korea, Don't Force Women to Have Children!

A fourth year student who prefers to remain anonymous, told IPS "the organisers almost forced female participants to write a sworn statement for childbirth despite many participants asserting that the low birth issue is a social problem rather than mere individual choice." South Korea's birth rate - 1.19 in 2008, according to the Korean Statistical Information Service, is the lowest among OECD countries - has been in the news recently. In November, the government's Presidential Council for Future & Vision announced "comprehensive plans for low birth rate." The plans include a crackdown on abortion. This plan illustrates the anti-human rights stance of the government which portrays women as an instrument for child birth rather than human beings with reproductive rights.

The government's position echoes a recently launched anti-abortion campaign by a group of obstetricians and gynecologists.
The group is planning a second round of campaigning on the streets from Dec. 20, and one of their stated objectives is to initiate criminal action against medical professionals who are providing clandestine abortion services. At an open forum on Dec. 3, 'Should we let abortion be %u2013 an inconvenient truth as it is' organised by parliamentarian Il-pyo Hong, Eunsang Lee, director of the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Centre, observed that there is no link between the country's low birth rate and high abortion rate.


Tell the Korean Government that Women Have The right to their own bodies!