Abortion Support for Youth & Immigrants/Refugees

1. Building a New Counseling and Support System for Adolescents, Migrants, and Refugees Seeking Abortion Care

SHARE continued providing abortion counseling and support for adolescents and migrants/refugees through January 2026.  However, we temporarily paused new counseling and support services from February to June. As more people became aware of the program and requests continued to grow, we recognized the need to build a more structured and sustainable counseling and support system.

Even during this transition period, we have continued to provide follow-up support for cases that required ongoing assistance. For example, in the case of a refugee applicant living in Korea with her child, we not only supported her abortion care but also provided emergency financial assistance and living expenses afterward, while connecting her with refugee support organizations that could offer longer-term support.

At the same time, adolescents continue to face significant barriers when seeking abortion care. Many healthcare providers still require parental consent or accompaniment, and government-run crisis pregnancy counseling centers often focus solely on persuading young people to continue their pregnancies and raise children. As a result, many adolescents who initially sought abortion care early in their pregnancies experience substantial delays before reaching us for support—sometimes close to ten weeks into their pregnancies.

We have been documenting the realities we encountered through our counseling and support work, as well as the cases we have assisted. We are currently preparing a report that will present key statistics alongside our analysis of the challenges and lessons emerging from this work.

To strengthen our services, we are also developing new counseling ethics guidelines, counseling protocols, and support manuals. Beginning in July 2026, we plan to relaunch and expand our counseling and support activities based on this newly developed and more systematic framework.

2. Rally on the 7th Anniversary of the Constitutional Court Decision declaring the abortion ban unconstitutional

April 11 marks the anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Korea's landmark 2019 decision declaring the country's abortion ban unconstitutional.

To commemorate this important date, SHARE joined 29 civil society organizations in organizing a public rally to call on the government to take meaningful action. Although abortion has been decriminalized since the Constitutional Court's decision, the Korean government has yet to establish a comprehensive system to ensure access to abortion care.

Seven years later, approval of abortion medication continues to be delayed. At the same time, websites operated by international organizations that provide information and support for safe medication abortion have been blocked. The government has also failed to provide updated clinical guidelines, counseling guidelines, or retraining programs for healthcare providers. As a result, many providers continue outdated practices, including requiring the consent or accompaniment of parents, partners, or other third parties.

In addition, abortion care remains outside the national health insurance system, leaving many people to bear significant medical costs. Under these conditions, the adolescents and migrants/refugees supported by SHARE face serious barriers to accessing healthcare, counseling, and reliable information. These barriers often lead to delays in receiving abortion care, creating even greater difficulties for those seeking support.

Through the April 11 rally, we highlighted these ongoing challenges and urged the Korean government to establish accessible, safe, and official systems for abortion-related healthcare, counseling, and information.

3. Welcoming a New Counseling and Support Activist

As the demand for abortion counseling and support services for adolescents and migrants/refugees continues to grow, we are expanding our team by hiring a new full-time activist dedicated to this work.

We announced the position on May 22 and expect to complete the recruitment process in June. Beginning in July, we look forward to working alongside our new colleague to strengthen and expand our support services.

Thank you for making this growth possible. Your support helps ensure that adolescents, migrants, and refugees can access the care, information, and assistance they need. We hope you will continue to support and encourage our new team member as they begin this important work.

Links:

• How SHARE's Abortion Support Program Has Been Carried Out
• Highlights from the April 11 Rally
• Hiring Announcement

1. The 2nd Comprehensive Abortion Counseling and Support Training Course for Counselors and Activists was held.

The second term of the "Comprehensive Abortion Counseling and Support Training Course for Counselors and Activists" was held every Monday and Wednesday from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM from November 3 to December 10, 2025. This year, 17 individuals with an interest and commitment to abortion support and counseling participated as trainees. These individuals included activists working for social movement organizations/sexual violence victim support organizations/youth support organizations, counselors working at related organizations, and sex education instructors. Additionally, four trainees who completed the first term in 2024 served on the planning team.

The training course began by examining the history of abortion decriminalization, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and the concepts of reproductive justice. Participants then learned about menstruation, contraception, pregnancy, and abortion methods. We conducted comprehensive counseling, training, and workshops to understand the circumstances and decision-making process of the parties involved, from the process of considering maintaining or terminating a pregnancy after confirming pregnancy, to abortion, childbirth, and childcare. This included counseling and support, post-abortion health management and contraception, and recovery to a healthy and happy daily life. Furthermore, we provided necessary resources and information and facilitated connections. SHARE's training program focused on learning and discussing counseling and support tailored to each individual's situation, including youth, people with disabilities, immigrants/refugees, sexual minorities, and sex workers. We also conducted hands-on training programs on SMA and MVA. In the second training session, a Thai activist participated directly and lectured on mutual aid activities through Asian networks.

Participants shared that they felt a strong sense of solidarity through the training program, finding comfort and support in each other. They also shared that learning about sexual and reproductive rights and reproductive justice empowered them to continue asking questions. Share will continue to support diverse stakeholders' social and economic situations and decision-making processes through training programs, and will work with them to build a foundation for connecting and reflecting on support and information.

(image 1-image 4) Scenes of the  2nd Comprehensive Abortion Counseling and Support Training Course for Counselors and Activists 

2. Medical Expense Support and Counseling Case Conferences for Adolescents, Immigrants, and RefugeesMedical Expense Support and Counseling Case Conferences for Adolescents, Immigrants, and Refugees

In 2025, we provided counseling to a total of 54 clients, connecting them with hospitals and abortion medications. We also provided medical expenses support for 13 adolescents under 24 and immigrants/refugees. We accompanied the clients receiving medical expense support to the hospital, assisting them through initial screenings, abortion procedures, and follow-up care. We also provided medical expenses for contraceptive services if the clients want. In October and November, we held a case meeting with SHARE's Steering Committee members and legal and policy experts. In these meetings, we shared the stories of each case SHARE counseled or supported. And we identified the socioeconomic challenges facing clients and the legal, policy, institutional, and infrastructure issues that exacerbate their situations or impede access to medical care. SHARE plans to use these case meetings to identify areas for improvement and propose new laws and policies to the government.

(Image 5) Abortion Counseling and Support Case Meeting (In-Person Meeting)

Links:

• SHARE's website post about the 2nd training program