The government’s budget for a program that allows women in crisis to give birth under an alias has been reduced by nearly 20 percent this year, with officials citing fewer applicants than anticipated.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Monday, the 2026 budget for the crisis pregnancy and protected birth support program amounts to 3.8 billion won ($2.5 million) in state funds, down 17.6 percent from last year’s 4.69 billion won.
Launched in 2024, the protected birth system enables socially or economically vulnerable pregnant women to receive medical care and deliver their babies under a pseudonym. After birth registration, the child is placed under state protection.
In particular, funding for emergency care for newborns born through the protected birth system dropped more than 30 percent, from 540 million won to 375 million won.
Under the emergency care program, municipalities acting as guardians of newborns are provided 1 million won per child per month for three months until a protection measure is finalized. The number of newborns eligible for support has been reduced from 300 last year to 200 this year.
A ministry official said the adjustment reflects the program’s usage during its first year.
“We had just over 100 protected birth applications in our first year of operation,” the official said, adding that lawmakers viewed the previous estimate of 300 newborns as excessive. “Since the program is still new, we didn’t drastically reduce the number. We set it at 200 and will monitor the trend. As awareness grows, applications may increase.”
From July 19, 2024 — when the protected birth system began — to Dec. 16 last year, a total of 1,971 women in crisis pregnancies received 7,675 counseling sessions, according to the ministry.
Of them, 340 received in-depth counseling, and 171 decided to raise their babies themselves. Another 33 opted for adoption after birth registration, while 109 applied for protected birth. As of last year, 106 babies had been born through the system.
jychoi@heraldcorp.com
