Investigation launched after doctor performs mistake abortion

Patient was to receive a nutritional shot at the clinic, nurse unknowingly injected her with anesthesia

A police investigation was launched after a doctor in South Korea performed an abortion on the wrong woman, reported CNN.

On August 7, a six-week pregnant woman went for a check-up to a clinic in the country’s capital Seoul. A mix up of the medical records and failure to confirm her identity led to the mistaken abortion.

The doctor and nurse in charge are currently under investigation, according to police reports.

"The doctor and nurse have acknowledged their fault. They are now being accused of negligence resulting in bodily harm,” a police official said.

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According to South Korean news agency, the woman was supposed to receive a nutritional shot at the clinic. However, the nurse injected her with anesthesia before confirming her identity.

The doctor, without checking her details, performed the abortion.

South Korea legalised abortion in April this year – directing the country’s constitutional court ruling that lawmakers must revise existing laws by 2020.

However, under the current law, abortion is illegal and punishable for up to a year in prison.

In the case of hereditary diseases, pregnancy due to rape or incest or if the fetus is life-threatening to the mother, then permission to practice abortion is granted.

Almost 50,000 abortions took place in South Korea last year, according to the country’s health ministry.