36-Week Fetus Abortion Case, Hospital Director, Surgeon, and YouTuber Sent to Prosecutors on Murder Charges
The hospital director who performed an abortion on a 36-week fetus, along with the surgeon and a YouTuber in her twenties who underwent the procedure, have been sent to prosecutors on murder charges.
On the 4th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Criminal Investigation Unit announced that they have sent B (in his 80s), the director of a hospital in Seoul, and C (in his 60s), the operating surgeon, to prosecutors in custody. They are accused of carrying out an illegal abortion procedure on a fetus in the late stages of pregnancy, resulting in the death of the fetus.
**Sent to prosecutors in custody**
According to the investigation results, B operated the hospital and authorized the procedure, while C, an obstetrician affiliated with another hospital, performed the abortion at the hospital in question.
The police stated that through analysis of medical records, CCTV footage, and testimonies from medical staff and related parties obtained during the search and seizure, they secured significant evidence indicating that the fetus was alive before and shortly after birth.
The case became known after YouTuber A, who underwent the abortion at the age of twenty-something, posted a video titled "Experience of Aborting a 36-Week Pregnancy" on her YouTube channel last year.
After confirming the video, the Ministry of Health and Welfare requested an investigation from the police, which revealed that A had received diagnoses from two initial hospitals days prior indicating that the fetus was healthy.
Despite this, A underwent the abortion at B's hospital under the care of C, and the police determined that the fetus died after being delivered from A's body.
A has been sent to prosecutors on murder charges without detention, and two brokers who facilitated A's visit to the hospital have also been sent without detention on charges of violating medical laws.
The police continue to investigate four medical staff who participated in the surgery for complicity in murder charges.
Meanwhile, according to South Korea's Mother and Child Health Act, abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy are illegal.
However, due to the Constitutional Court's decision in 2019 declaring the abortion crime under the Criminal Act unconstitutional, such charges have lost their effect. This incident has occurred in a serious legal vacuum regarding abortion laws and has drawn significant attention from the legal and medical communities.
Image source: A's YouTube clip, illustrative photos for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank
