By Na Young | representative
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.
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