The doctor had failed to check her identity and the corresponding chart, and a nurse injected her with anesthesia. They then perfomed an abotion on the woman.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on October 14, 2021. It has since been updated.
A woman from South Korea, who was six weeks pregnant, went to a nearby clinic to get herself a nutritional shot, given how she wanted to carry the baby to term and have a happy, healthy pregnancy.
However, according to CNN, a terrible mix-up in the medical charts resulted in a mistaken abortion. The reason behind the confusion was that the doctor had failed to check her identity and the corresponding chart.
South Korean news agency Yonhap stated that the pregnant woman was only supposed to receive a nutritional shot at the clinic, but a nurse working there allegedly injected her with anesthesia, without confirming her identity and seeing to her exact need. The incident took place on August 7th, 2019 at a clinic in the district of Gangseo, Seoul.
Police investigating after doctor performs abortion on wrong woman https://t.co/kpCfwNiBNP pic.twitter.com/dTjVRl79em
— CTV News (@CTVNews) September 24, 2019
The doctor then went ahead and performed an abortion on the unsuspecting woman who was knocked out, thanks to the anesthesia.
Per Daily Mail, the woman came back to the hospital the next day, complaining of severe bleeding. That was when she found out that her unborn child had been aborted against her will. One can only imagine the woman's grief when she found out she'd lost her precious baby due to a doctor's negligence.
After the incident, South Korean Police launched an investigation into the issue at hand. Both the doctor and the nurse were being investigated, and updates revealed that the case would be sent to a prosecutor's office for further analysis before a verdict is given. "The doctor and nurse have acknowledged their fault," a police official said. They are now being accused of negligence resulting in bodily harm.
There are so many women who struggle to conceive, and who knows, this woman might have tried for a very long time before she was blessed with a baby, but unfortunately, it was ripped apart from her, without even her permission, and it truly is the worst thing that could happen to someone.
As for abortion laws in the country, in 1953, the Republic of South Korea criminalized abortion under the Korean Criminal Code, and since then, anti-abortion laws have been in place, reports Human Rights Pulse. However, in April 2019, seven out of nine judges on the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled that the criminalization of abortion was unconstitutional, and gave the National Assembly of South Korea until the end of the year to revise the laws regarding abortion.
Finally, on January 1, 2021, the revised laws came into effect. Now, abortions up to 14 weeks into a pregnancy are legal and abortion for pregnancies as a result of rape will be permitted between 15 and 24 weeks.
It’s 2019. Have they not figured out triple, quadruple pre op checks?!
— Snowstar444 (@snowstar444) September 24, 2019
References:
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/24/asia/korea-wrong-abortion-intl-hnk-scli/index.html
https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20190923022900004?section=search
Cover Image Source (Representative): Getty Images | Liliboas
