韩国上诉法院推翻了此前的裁决，宣判因在医院分娩后杀害新生儿而被控谋杀的女性权某无罪 [1]。权某原于2024年3月因谋杀罪名被判刑获得三年缓刑 [1]，此次上诉法院撤销了对她的谋杀罪名 [1]。
与此同时，法院维持了两名医生的谋杀罪名，但对他们的刑期进行了减刑 [1]。手术医生的刑期从四年减至两年半，医院院长的刑期从六年减至四年 [1]。
权某是首次因寻求晚期妊娠终止而被控谋杀的女性 [1]。该案件源于2024年权某发布的一段关于36周妊娠终止的YouTube视频，这段视频曝光后引发了卫生部的刑事投诉 [1]，并触发了关于韩国模糊堕胎法律的全国辩论 [1]。
韩国在2019年将堕胎非刑事化，但未规定具体的妊娠周期限制 [1]。韩国宪法法院在2019年曾建议允许22周前堕胎，但后续立法因保守派议员反对而陷入僵局 [1]。
大赦国际韩国执行主任表示欢迎法院裁决，但敦促政府制定措施移除堕胎障碍 [1]。
A South Korean appellate court has overturned a murder conviction against a woman identified as Kwon, clearing her of charges related to the death of a newborn following a hospital delivery. [1] Kwon had been sentenced to three years of suspended imprisonment in March 2024 on murder charges. [1]
The appeals court upheld murder convictions against two doctors involved in the case, though their sentences were reduced. [1] The operating surgeon's sentence was cut from four years to two and a half years, while the hospital director's sentence was reduced from six years to four years. [1]
The case gained public attention after Kwon posted a YouTube video in 2024 discussing the termination of her pregnancy at 36 weeks, triggering a criminal complaint from the health ministry. [1] Kwon became the first woman to face murder charges for seeking late-term pregnancy termination in South Korea. [1]
The prosecution and conviction highlighted gaps in South Korea's abortion law. The country decriminalized abortion in 2019 but failed to establish specific gestational limits for the procedure. [1] The Constitutional Court had recommended in 2019 that abortion should be permitted before 22 weeks of pregnancy, yet subsequent legislative efforts stalled due to opposition from conservative lawmakers. [1]
Amnesty International's South Korea executive director welcomed the court's decision but called on the government to take steps to remove obstacles to abortion access. [1]