Abortion and the Church

Issues

Abortion is the deliberate termination of a pregnancy. Debate within the church centers on three broad questions:

• From what point should the unborn child be regarded as a human life equal to that of a person?
• When the life of the unborn child conflicts with the health, life, and decisions of the pregnant woman, which should take precedence?
• Should ethical judgments grounded in faith be enforced through criminal penalties imposed by the state?

The positions diverge even over terminology. Those who emphasize the protection of life generally use the term "abortion" (nakt'ae), while those who emphasize the woman's decision generally use terms meaning "termination of pregnancy" (imsin jungji or imsin jungdan).

The Position Prioritizing the Protection of Life

This position holds that human life begins at fertilization, when sperm and egg unite. Because the unborn child also bears the image of God (Genesis 1:27), abortion is regarded as a violation of the commandment in the Ten Commandments, "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13). Supporting passages include Psalm 139:13-16 and Jeremiah 1:5, which describe God forming and knowing a person in the womb, and Luke 1:41-44, which records that the unborn John the Baptist leaped in the womb. Some who hold this position nonetheless allow for exceptions, such as cases in which the mother's life is in danger.

In South Korea, Protestant umbrella organizations such as the Communion of Churches in Korea, the Christian Council of Korea, and the Communion of Korean Churches have officially taken this position. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea of the Catholic Church likewise maintains a teaching along the same lines, regarding the unborn child as "a human being with dignity from the moment of fertilization."

The Position Prioritizing the Woman's Decision and Circumstances

Christians who hold this position also say that they value life. However, they maintain that the life, health, and conscientious decisions of a woman facing an unwanted pregnancy must be respected, and that punishment cannot resolve the problem. They cite the following grounds:

• No passage of Scripture deals directly with abortion.
• Exodus 21:22-25 can be read as treating a case in which a pregnant woman is injured and miscarries differently from a case in which a person is killed. The translation and interpretation of this passage, however, are disputed.
• In Genesis 2:7, man became a living soul upon receiving the breath of life.

They further argue, pointing to John 8:1-11, in which Jesus shielded a woman standing condemned under the law, that the church's role is to stand beside those who suffer. In South Korea, in October 2020, the Christian Forum on Sexuality and Reproduction issued a statement, signed by 179 organizations and individuals, calling for the complete repeal of the crime of abortion under the Criminal Act. The statement criticized the Korean church for having produced, in each era, theological discourse that conformed to the government's population policies.

The Situation of the Korean Church

From its enactment in 1953, the South Korean Criminal Act made abortion punishable in principle, while the Mother and Child Health Act, enacted in 1973, permitted certain exceptions. In 2012 the Constitutional Court upheld the law's constitutionality after the justices split 4–4. On April 11, 2019, however, with seven justices finding the provisions unconstitutional or nonconforming to the Constitution, the Court issued a decision of constitutional nonconformity regarding provisions including the crime of self-induced abortion. It directed the National Assembly to amend the law by December 31, 2020.

Immediately after the decision, the Christian Council of Korea and the Communion of Korean Churches issued statements criticizing it as a ruling that placed women's right to self-determination above the unborn child's right to life. In October 2020, when the government gave advance legislative notice of an amendment permitting abortion up to the fourteenth week of pregnancy, the Communion of Churches in Korea opposed it as an attempt to write disregard for life into law. No replacement legislation has been enacted since.

President Lee Jae-myung later directed officials to consider permitting the use of abortion drugs without amending the law. In response, the Social Policy Committee of the Communion of Churches in Korea and the Pro-Life Movement Headquarters of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea held a joint press conference at the National Assembly to voice their opposition. In September 2026, when the government announced a plan to introduce drugs for terminating pregnancy, the Communion of Churches in Korea issued a statement asserting that the National Assembly should establish a legal framework grounded in the principle of protecting unborn life. In the same statement, it also called for expanded support for women in crisis pregnancies and for single-parent families.

Points for Reflection

• Should the life of the unborn child and the life of the woman be treated as an either-or choice, or as a matter of finding a way to protect both?
• Are the church's ethical teaching and the state's criminal penalties the same thing? To what extent can standards of faith be required in laws that nonbelievers must also obey? (See Church and Politics.)
• How should the church treat members who have had abortions? Where does pastoral care stand between condemnation and silence?
• Despite their differing positions, both sides have expressed agreement on the need for practical support for women in crisis pregnancies and for single-parent families.