S. Korean Catholic Church voices 'deep concerns' over abortion bill plan

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SEOUL, Sept. 17 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean Catholic Church has expressed "deep concerns" over government plans to formally introduce abortion pills and urged for a reconsideration.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK) made the call in a statement issued Wednesday after the government announced plans to allow the use of abortion pills by women up to nine weeks pregnant.

"The CBCK voices deep concerns as this measure would only institutionalize abortion in an 'orderly' manner, without changing its fundamental nature, while allowing a disregard for life to be more deeply rooted in our society," the organization said.

The Korean Catholic Church said the phased introduction of abortion pills is merely a "road map" to expand them, stressing that regardless of how well the process is built, it does not change the fact that the pill kills a human life in the womb.

Officials at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety hold a press briefing on the introduction of abortion pills at the Seoul government complex on Sept. 16, 2026. (Yonhap)

The CBCK said a society that truly respects humans is not one that gets rid of the most vulnerable life to ease the difficulties of women but one that takes the responsibility so that women would not have to give up on new life.

In such a regard, it asked the government to build a social safety net that better helps women, such as providing housing and medical support, counseling services and strengthening joint responsibility of men in a legal framework.

"We eagerly ask the government and the National Assembly to deeply contemplate this and choose a path that both protects life while practically helping women," the organization said.

The government plans, under which abortion pills will be introduced in phases, came as related regulations remained unchanged following the Constitutional Court's 2019 striking down of the abortion ban.

mlee@yna.co.kr (END)

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这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

首尔，9月17日（韩联社）——韩国天主教会对政府正式引入堕胎药的计划表示“深切关注”，并敦促政府重新考虑。

韩国天主教主教团（CBCK）在周三发表的一份声明中发出呼吁，此前韩国政府宣布计划允许怀孕九周以内的妇女使用堕胎药。

“CBCK对此深表担忧，因为这项措施只会以‘有序’的方式将堕胎制度化，而不会改变其根本性质，同时还会让漠视生命的风气在我们的社会中更加根深蒂固，”该组织表示。

韩国天主教会表示，分阶段引入堕胎药仅仅是扩大堕胎药使用范围的“路线图”，并强调无论堕胎药的研发过程多么完善，都无法改变堕胎药会杀死子宫内人类生命的事实。

2026年9月16日，韩国食品药品安全部官员在首尔政府大楼举行新闻发布会，介绍堕胎药的引进事宜。（韩联社）

CBCK表示，一个真正尊重人类的社会，不会为了减轻女性的困难而消灭最弱势的生命，而是会承担起责任，让女性不必放弃新生。

在这方面，它要求政府建立更好地帮助妇女的社会安全网，例如提供住房和医疗支持、咨询服务，并在法律框架内加强男性的共同责任。

该组织表示：“我们恳请政府和国民议会认真考虑这个问题，并选择一条既能保护生命又能切实帮助妇女的道路。”

政府计划分阶段引入堕胎药，而此前宪法法院在 2019 年推翻了堕胎禁令，相关法规仍未改变。

mlee@yna.co.kr (完)

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