What you probably already know: A 26-year-old woman in South Korea who had a late-pregnancy abortion has been convicted of murder, as have her two doctors. The woman, known only as “Kwon,” received a three-year suspended jail sentence but must complete 200 hours of community service. The doctor who performed the procedure received a four-year sentence, while the director of the hospital got six years and a fine of more than $1 million. South Korea decriminalized abortion in 2019 but hasn’t adopted any regulations around it, an inaction Amnesty International calls a “failure” that deprives women and girls of essential health care and pushes them toward unregulated medical practices.
Why it matters: Abortion rights are under siege in the U.S. and around the world. KFF, a San Francisco-based information organization, tracks litigation involving reproductive rights and finds a disturbing number of punitive actions, mostly in red states. Recent examples include a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas against Aid Access, a nonprofit that works with abortion providers to ship medication abortion pills to people in all 50 states; a move by Florida alleging that the FDA lacked authority to approve abortion pill mifepristone 26 years ago; and a wrongful-death suit against a doctor in California after the doctor mailed abortion pills to Texas, which were taken by his pregnant girlfriend.
What it means: Several states and organizations have taken actions challenging abortion restrictions, including the Wyoming Supreme Court, which in January struck down a law banning abortion. State Court Report notes that voters in at least four states will likely get to weigh in on measures strengthening abortion rights, while the Center for Reproductive Rights 26 states now allow legal abortion of some kind, including 11 with “expanded access,” meaning that abortion is protected by state constitutions.
What happens next: The European Commission ruled last week that EU countries can use a social fund to provide free abortions for women from nations with restricted access, a move Reuters calls “s significant policy clarification” in response to a campaign called “My Voice, My Choice.” The Wall Street Journal reports that Planned Parenthood is offering services including Botox injections and IV hydration to make up for $100 million in federal funding cuts. “We have to face reality to keep our doors open,” Planned Parenthood Mar Monte (serving Northern California and Nevada) CEO and president Stacy Cross told staff writer Jennifer Calfas. “That’s where these new services come in.”
