A Comparative Study on Abortion Counselling Services - with Emphases on Legal Procedure -

July 2009, the limit of gestational age for abortion has been changed from 28th weeks to 4 weeks by revision of "Mother and Child Health Act" During this revision, provision for counselling was not included for several reasons. This counselling was intended to empower women with relevant knowledge concerning pregnancy and abortion, to ensure that pregnant woman wanting abortion have a chance to reconsider the meaning and ramification of abortion, and therefore, to reduce the number of unappropriated abortion. Countries like Germany, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand have this counselling service for women considering abortion as a legal requirement or recommendation via related laws or policies. These counselling services are intended to provide women with health, ethical and legal information, thus to reduce the unsafe and illegal abortion and also guarantee the access to related medical services that are safe, and legal. After analyzing the acts on abortion, recommendations for further revision of Mother and Child Health Act, especially concern for abortion counselling services were given. First, abortion monitoring and reviewing committees should be established which will make official report on the fact about abortion. Second, designation of abortion consulting organization should be made, and conditions for the designation be established. Third, conditions for approval of the consultants and mechanisms for continuing education should be provided in the future revision of the act. Finally, there should be consideration period in the abortion counselling during which pregnant women could think about the meaning of pregnancy and about the fetus.ope