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Minister of Gender Equality and Family Won Min-kyung speaks during a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Lee Jae-myung at Cheong Wa Dae on July 14. / Photo courtesy of Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung said on July 14 regarding Mifegyne, an oral abortion pill currently banned in South Korea, "Even if the government faces some difficulties, we must allow appropriate access and administration of the drug."

Pointing to the reality where South Korean women are purchasing and taking Mifegyne through international direct-buying websites, President Lee proposed giving medical professionals discretionary authority and allowing the sale of the medication where necessary until the official introduction process is completed.

"While women who realistically need Mifegyne are unable to purchase and take it here, other countries have already permitted it," President Lee criticized during a Cabinet meeting he presided over at Cheong Wa Dae on the day. "Leaving them in a legal blind spot might allow the government to escape responsibility, but it puts our citizens at risk."

"Because the debate over abortion laws and the scope of permissible abortion has not ended, we have not allowed this drug, which drives women in need to take it through international direct purchases, leading to accidents," President Lee said, repeatedly stressing, "Leaving this unaddressed is wrong. It is irresponsible for the government to handle it this way."

When Minister of Gender Equality and Family Won Min-kyung pointed out that amending the Mother and Child Health Act is required to introduce Mifegyne, President Lee responded, "Can't we simply permit the drug once it is deemed safe?"

He then noted, "If we insist on debating that legislative amendment, I believe we will never get it done. My term will end while we are still arguing over how many weeks of pregnancy should be the cutoff for administration."

"Let the doctors exercise their professional discretion to determine up to how many weeks the drug can be administered," President Lee said. "Even before that is legally defined, we can still permit the sale of the medication."

"Let's take a pragmatic approach," he added. "Setting a clear permissible period for abortion and letting doctors prescribe within that timeframe would solve everything, but the problem is that the entire society will erupt into chaos over exactly how many weeks that period should be."

When Minister of Government Legislation Cho Won-chul expressed the opinion that alternative legislation is necessary, President Lee remarked, "Even an imperfect compromise is better than leaving the situation unaddressed, so we must put something in place."

Furthermore, President Lee repeatedly emphasized, "Because the criteria for the permissible period of abortion can vary depending on the pregnant woman's health condition, fixing it by law may not be the absolute truth. Entrusting it to the conscience and discretion of doctors is also a viable option. That is far better than leaving the situation neglected, forcing women to buy and take it from abroad without a prescription."

                                                                                                              Hong Sun-mi