• 의료법학
• /
• 제10권1호
• /
• pp.323-361
• /
• 2009

In Korea, Abortion in the Criminal Law is an illegal act in exception of on which abortion may be carried out through the grounds are very limited and related such a emergency situation of women's physical health, rape, incest and genetic diseases. The Criminal Law regulates the mother's act of abortion and the doctor's surgical performance of abortion. The Mother and the Child Health Law prescribes the medical, ethical, and genetic grounds for the legal permission of abortion. Many people tend to abuse of abortion even though they are fully aware of its illegality. The law lead to be inconsistent with its enforcement. In this paper, I would like to suggest some proposals about the legal analysis of the Abortion Regulations th reform the existing regulation and increase th effectiveness of the regulations. Recently, in a case of the a maternity hospital where a midwife left alone a diabetes pregnancy women who had a baby, and the overweight baby(5.2Kg) died in the uterus due to hypoxic states. Supreme Court of Korea 2007.6.29. 2005do3832) had given a verdict of "not guilty". It looked like there were very fair with current crime law. But, we want this case to be investigated if there weren't any logical contradictions as well as concurrent translation within Constitution Law. Now the Mother and the Child Health Law prescribes the medical, ethical, and genetic grounds for the legal permission of abortion. But this law does not include social and economic grounds.

• 의료법학
• /
• 제10권1호
• /
• pp.117-168
• /
• 2009

Generally, criminal law protect the human life after he/she has born. Before the birth, the life of fetus are protected by prohibition of abortion, not of murder. Also, the fetus is not considered as an object of infliction of injury. A popular opinion and case law say that the fetus becomes a person at the point of an outset labor pains. Recently, some theories allege that traditional opinions is not sufficient in the case of induced delivery, so it should be decided by norm, not by a simple fact, whether a unborn child is a fetus or a person, and that the fetus should be considered as an object of infliction of injury. These theories can be meaningful because these could protect human life more comprehensively. In the other side, however, these could harm the legal stability and bring the excessive punishment. Abortion of negligence is not punishable in criminal law, and there is little possibility of the fetus injury without the injury of the pregnant woman. And the Contergan Case, if it happened again, must be dealt with as crime about environment or public health more severely. These new approaches are in conflict with the principle of "nulla poena sine lege" and other fundamental rules of the criminal law, and should lead to the excessive punishment and criminal provisions. Accordingly, the decision of Supreme Court of Korea about the beginning point of human being should be maintained.

• 의료법학
• /
• 제8권2호
• /
• pp.205-290
• /
• 2007

In Korea, abortion in the Criminal Law is an illegal act in exception of limited cases stated in the Mother and the Child Health Law. There are grounds on which abortion may be carried out - though the grounds are very limited and related such as emergency situation of woman's physical health, rape, incest and genetic diseases. The Criminal Law regulates the mother's act of abortion and the doctor's surgical performance of abortion. The Mother and the Child Health Law prescribes the medical, ethical, and genetic grounds for the legal permission of abortion. Many people tend to abuse of abortion even though they are fully aware of its illegality. The law lead to be inconsistent with its enforcement. In this paper, I would like to suggest some proposals about the legal analysis of the Abortion Regulations to reform the existing regulations and increase the effectiveness of the regulations. A national survey was carried out using telephone interview with Korean citizens from August 1th to August 31th in 2005. A total of 1,025 citizens (male: female = 49.2%:50.8%) were randomly sampled in proportion to the number of population of 17 regions. The major findings of this survey were as follows. First, 91.4% of the respondents approved of abortion based on the medical grounds. Second 83.3% of the respondents perceived that abortion may be carried out based on ethical grounds for example rape. Third, 74.3% were agreed to abortion based on genetic diseases. Forth, 64.7% were approved the abortion that unmarried woman may be carried out. In contrast 45.0% were approved the abortion that girls may be carried out, whereas 46.4% were perceived that the abortion may not be permitted. Fifth, 58.3% were disagreed the permission of abortion based on social and economic grounds. According to the survey Korean citizens seem to have positive perception on the abortion that may be carried out based on medical, ethical and genetic grounds. Whereas they worried about the abortion based on social and economic grounds. Now the Mother and the Child Health Law prescribes the medical, ethical, and genetic grounds for the legal permission of abortion. But this law does not include social and economic grounds. In cases of when the mother has a impossibility to breed her child because of her social situations and financial conditions, we should accepted the legal acceptance of abortion due to social and economic grounds.

• 의료법학
• /
• 제9권1호
• /
• pp.197-257
• /
• 2008

Current crown law punishes crime related to unborn child with abortion crime. So we might think that any infringement on unborn child is pretty well protected. But, in terms of illegal abortion, a charge of injuring person and homicide, there are lots blind spots in punishing criminals. Especially, there are numerous unclear cases in illegal abortion. If a doctor killed an unborn child by accident in medical operations, we can't punish him because it was an accident. There still exist controversial cases such as, if an unborn child was somehow damaged and was dead after birth, or was born with disabilities, how are we supposed to punish that? Recently, in a case where a doctor left alone a mother who had a baby and the baby died, our Supreme Court of Korea (Supreme Court of Korea 2007.6.29 2005do 3832) had given a verdict of "not guilty". It looked like they were very fair with current crime law. But, we want this case to be investigated if there weren't any logical contradictions as well as concurrent translation within Constitution Law.

• 의료법학
• /
• 제20권2호
• /
• pp.3-39
• /
• 2019

헌법재판소가 2012년 8월 23일 낙태죄 규정을 합헌으로 결정한 이후에도 낙태죄 폐지에 대한 논란은 지속되어 왔다. 낙태죄의 존폐논란은 최근에만 일어난 일이 아니라 이미 형법제정 당시부터 있었던 것으로, 대한민국의 근대입법과정과 역사를 같이 한다. 당시 형법제정과정에서 낙태죄의 전면삭제를 주장하면서 수정안을 제출했던 의원들은 사회·경제적 적응사유를 핵심적인 제안이유로 제시하기도 하였다. 이후 개발독재기에도 낙태죄의 폐지가 논의되었으나, 이는 여성의 인권을 보장하기 위한 것이 아니라, 박정희 독재정권의 '산아제한', '가족계획'이라는 국책사업과 관련이 있었다. 이후 인공임신중절을 제한적으로나마 허용하는 「모자보건법」의 제정은 유신으로 국회가 해산된 후 입법권을 대신하게 된 비상국무회의에서 1973년 2월 8일 이루어졌고, 1973년 5월 10일부터 시행되었다. 그나마 일부라도 낙태의 합법화를 포함하는 「모자보건법」이 가능했던 배경은 당시 유신독재가 어떠한 이견도 허락하지 않았기 때문에, 종교계에서도 반대 의견을 표명하기 어려웠기 때문일 것으로 보인다. 이렇게 제정된 「모자보건법」은 지금까지 약간의 수정만을 거치며 그대로 유지되어왔다. 낙태죄 존폐론의 논거들도 형법제정 당시와 큰 차이 없이 그대로 평행선을 달려왔다고 볼 수 있다. 2012년 8월 23일 헌법재판소의 결정에서도 합헌의견과 위헌의견이 4:4로 팽팽하게 맞섰었다. 다만 헌법재판소의 위헌결정을 위한 정족수를 채우지 못하여 합헌으로 결정하였다. 이 낙태죄 폐지 논쟁은 이번 헌법재판소의 헌법불합치 결정으로 일단락되었고, 국회는 새로운 입법이라는 과제를 부담한다. 즉 국회는 적어도 2020년 12월 31일까지 개선입법을 이행하여야 하고, 그때까지 개선입법이 이루어지지 않으면 낙태죄조항들(「형법」 제269조제1항, 제270조제1항)은 2021년 1월 1일부터 효력을 상실한다. 따라서 아래에서 우선 형법상 낙태죄 규정에 대한 헌법재판소 헌법불합치 결정의 논거가 무엇인지를 살펴보고(II), 과거의 헌법재판소와 대법원의 논증구조와 어떠한 점에서 차이를 가지는지, 그리고 헌법재판소 헌법불합치 결정에서 나타난 쟁점을 무엇인지를 검토한 후(III), 헌법재판소가 제시한 기준에 따른 입법재량의 범위 안에서 입법방향과 이미 제출된 「형법」과 「모자보건법」의 개정안에 대하여 검토(IV)하였다.

• 의료법학
• /
• 제21권3호
• /
• pp.117-144
• /
• 2020

우리나라 의료인은 의료법 제15조에 따라 정당한 사유가 없는 한 환자의 진료를 거부할 수 없으며, 정당한 사유 없이 진료를 거부한 행위는 형사처벌의 대상이 된다. 일본도 의사법에서 동일한 내용을 규정하고 있지만, 진료거부행위가 형사처벌의 대상이 되는 것은 아니다. 환자에게 손해가 발생한 경우에 한하여 의사의 손해배상책임 여부를 판단하는데 고려되는 일 요소로서 활용되고 있다는 차이가 있다. 그러나 조항 자체가 매우 추상적으로 규정되어 있어 양 국가는 의사가 환자의 진료를 거부할 수 있는 정당한 사유가 무엇인지를 구체화하기 위해 노력한다. 최근 일본은 의사의 과도한 근무환경을 개선한다는 관점에서 진료거부에 관한 논의를 현대적 관점에서 재조명하는 작업을 완료한 바 있다. 반면 우리나라는 진료거부에 관한 체계적인 논의가 부족하여 어떠한 경우에 진료를 거부할 수 있는지 명확히 알 수 없을 뿐만 아니라 오히려 불필요한 오해와 논란만 가중됨에 따라 환자와 의사간의 신뢰가 상실되는 결과를 초래하고 있다. 한편 우리나라에서는 이미 연명의료결정 중단 시행에 있어 의사가 종교적 신념 또는 양심에 따라 이를 거부할 수 있는 권리가 법적으로 보장되고 있으며, 최근 낙태의 경우에도 의사에게 이를 거부할 권리를 보장해야 한다는 논의가 진행 중에 있다. 본 연구는 일본의 논의 현황을 소개하며, 우리나라에서 확인할 수 있는 진료거부 사례를 검토하고, 이에 덧붙여 오늘날의 의료현실에서 검토가 필요한 사례를 제시하였다. 이 연구를 통해 의사의 진료거부금지 의무에 관한 발전적 논의가 촉진되기를 기대한다.

• Child Health Nursing Research
• /
• 제22권4호
• /
• pp.317-325
• /
• 2016

Purpose: Smoking during pregnancy contributes to the risk of negative health outcomes in mothers and babies. The purposes of this study were to review the harmful effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy on fetal and child development, to discuss if maternal smoking should be criminalized as a form of child abuse, and to explore advocating for fetal rights. Methods: A variety of published literature and legal documents including the Korean constitution, criminal laws, and children's welfare laws were reviewed and critically analyzed. Results: Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to experience abortion related to placental dysfunction. Their unborn risk premature birth, fetal growth restriction, low birth weight, neurobehavioral disturbances, and/or other complications and newborn babies are also at risk for complications. The advocates for fetal rights can assert that maternal smoking should be regarded as a crime. Conclusion: Findings show that maternal smoking during pregnancy is a major risk factor for many adverse pregnancy outcomes. Effective strategies and health policies for smoking cessation during pregnancy are required to protect pregnant women and their babies.