The Korean Catholic Church began taking action against a move to decriminalize abortion as over 200,000 people signed an online petition to lift the ban on abortion.

A Life Committee under the Archdiocese of Seoul held an emergency meeting early this month to take action against the possible decriminalization of abortion.

The Life Committee, headed by Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung, put up a petition titled “We oppose lifting the ban on abortion” on the website of the presidential office last week, calling on Catholics to support it.

“Human life must be respected absolutely from the first moment of his or her existence. From the moment of conception, he or she is an independent human being and not a part of a woman’s body. His or her life comes before a woman’s freedom or right to decide,” the committee wrote in the petition.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea decided in a meeting last weekend to issue a statement opposing the abolition of the criminal status of abortion.

A nationwide council of ordinary members of the Catholic Church also recently sent a letter opposing the legalization of abortion to 79 Catholic lawmakers.

More than 200,000 people signed an online petition to decriminalize abortion in just a month after the petition was put up on the website of the presidential office in late September. The presidential office is expected to clarify its position on abortion. 

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)