Top Stories 25/09/24 Catholics oppose proposed changes to Korea’s abortion law

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The Catholic Church has been a vocal opponent of changes to the nation’s abortion laws

South Korean women's rights activists react after the constitutional court's ruling on decriminalisation of abortion during a rally against the abortion ban outside the court in Seoul on April 11, 2019. The government proposed more changes to abortion laws in 2025, attracting opposition from several quarters, including the Catholic Church (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)

By UCA News reporter

Published: September 30, 2025 11:40 AM GMT

Updated: September 30, 2025 12:05 PM GMT

Catholic Church officials in South Korea have launched a nationwide 40-day prayer campaign to oppose proposed changes to the country’s abortion law, including the legalization of abortion pills and the removal of existing restrictions.

The “40 Days of Prayer for Life” campaign, organized by the Committee for Family and Life of the Korean Bishops' Conference (CBCK), started on Sept. 24 and will run until Nov. 2, Vatican’s Fides news agency reported.

The Church, along with Protestant groups and parts of the medical community, has criticized a government’s proposal introduced during a recent cabinet meeting under President Lee Jae-myung.

The plan seeks to replace the term “abortion” with “termination of pregnancy,” legalize abortion procedures, and introduce abortion pills. Lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea also submitted bills in July, supporting similar measures.

As part of the Church’s 40-day campaign, lay Catholics, priests, and religious are gathering in public squares and symbolic places across the country, holding pro-life signs and praying silently.

Bishop Pius Moon Chang-woo, president of the national bishops’ conference committee, reiterated the Church’s opposition to abortion.

He wanted the government to adopt “policies that protect both women and fetuses, and that guarantee the right of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to conscientious objection.”

He and other Church leaders argue that while women’s rights must be respected, they should not override the foetus’ right to life.

“The government’s agenda diminishes the precious value of pregnancy and childbirth,” said Professor Maria Kim Kyung-ah of Incheon Catholic University, who coordinates the campaign.

In August, four Catholic groups led by Bishop Moon submitted a protest note to the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee.

Meanwhile, the National Coalition for the Protection of Fetuses and Women, comprising 70 civic organizations, has launched a mass signature campaign to block the proposed law. 

The Seoul Archdiocese’s Pro-Life Committee also plans to spread the campaign in parishes and encourage petition drives.

The debate follows a 2019 ruling by South Korea’s Constitutional Court that decriminalized abortion, declaring the existing punitive law unconstitutional.

The government says the proposed reforms aim to “guarantee women’s health and rights” by closing the legal gap left by that decision.