For perhaps the first time, South Korea is debating abortion, to the great discomfiture of its gynaecologists. Unlike the US and other Western countries, abortion has not been framed as a moral issue in Korea, despite the growing number of Christians. And with a vigorous government campaign to reduce the birth rate, the number of abortions annually is about 340,000. Yet paradoxically, nearly all of them are technically illegal. Abortion is only permitted when the mother’s health is in serious danger, or in cases of rape, incest or severe hereditary disorders. All abortions over 24 weeks are illegal.

The problem is that the government’s campaign has been too successful. Liberal attitudes towards abortion have helped the South Korean birth rate to plunge to 1.19 children per woman. Now the government is desperate to boost it, lest the rapidly ageing population drag down the economy. President Lee Myung-bak has called for "bold" steps to increase the nation’s birthrate. Amongst these, apparently, is a crack-down on illegal abortions. "Even if we don’t intend to hold anyone accountable for all those illegal abortions in the past, we must crack down on them from now on," the minister for health, welfare and family affairs, Jeon Jae-hee, told the New York Times.

The government is even sponsoring public service announcements and billboards. "With abortion, you are aborting the future," says one of them.

Gynaecologists are also feeling the pressure from former colleagues who have foresworn abortion and plan to report abortionists to the police. Dr Choi Anna and Dr Shim Sang-duk have formed a group called Gynob which is working to radically reduce the number of abortions. In November, they and dozens of other obstetricians held a news conference to ask for "forgiveness" for having performed illegal abortions, the Times reports.

The Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which has 4,000 members, opposes a crackdown, saying that women would simply go abroad or resort to illegal backyard abortions. ~ New York Times, Jan 5