Over 18,000 crisis pregnancy consultations recorded

Jul 20, 2026, 09:36 am

The Crisis Pregnancy and Protected Childbirth System, implemented over the past two years, has generated more than 18,000 consultation cases. The government announced that the public support system is gradually producing positive outcomes.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on July 19, a total of 18,088 consultations were provided to 4,251 pregnant women in crisis from July 19, 2024, when the system was first implemented, through the end of June this year.

The Crisis Pregnancy and Protected Childbirth System provides pregnant women in crisis with comprehensive counseling alongside information on welfare services, such as pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting support systems, to help them raise children within their original families. It also supports them in receiving medical treatment and giving birth pseudonymously if unavoidable. Children born through protected childbirth are placed under state protection, and upon reaching adulthood, they can request the disclosure of their birth certificates containing birth information.

As a result of in-depth consultations, 409 pregnant women decided to raise their children within their original families, 62 chose adoption after registering the births, and 206 applied for protected childbirth. Notably, 47 pregnant women withdrew their applications for protected childbirth following counseling and a deliberation period of seven days or longer.

According to statistics on children requiring protection, the number of abandoned newborns has shown a steady decline since the implementation of the system. The number of abandoned children dropped by approximately 78 percent, from 88 in 2023 to 19 in 2025. This indicates that the public support system, which offers sufficient counseling and support to pregnant women in crisis while safely protecting children, is gradually showing results.

Kim Hyun-sook, Director General for Population and Child Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "Over the past two years, the public support system designed to protect pregnant women and children in need through the Crisis Pregnancy and Protected Childbirth System has been stably taking root in the field." She added, "We will continue to reflect feedback from the field and strengthen the counseling capabilities of regional counseling agencies to ensure that pregnant women in crisis receive appropriate support at the right time, thereby protecting the health and lives of both mothers and children."

Lee Jeong-yeon

#Pregnancy