Several weeks ago there was news about a middle school student who hid the fact that she was pregnant. As the time for birth came near, she visited her uncle's house in the countryside. The toilet, located outside the house, is where her child was born. She placed the child in the toilet and then left her uncle's house. Later her uncle found the baby's corpse. The police charged the girl with murder. Unfortunately, this case is not rare.
        Some middle school students and high school students have sexual intercourse without knowing what is awaiting them if the girl gets pregnant. I believe that this ignorance is caused by the lack of sex education. Although they might be concerned about pregnancy, they think there is a simple operation to get rid of babies--abortion.
        There are many abortions in Korea. Some women get abortions because they only want to have sons. In Asian countries, it is routine to think only of selective abortions to get rid of daughters when we talk about this procedure. But in fact, 50 percent of all abortions are performed on teenagers.
        Pregnancy is a very precious thing. It is a gift for married couples. If a teenager becomes pregnant, the natural meaning of pregnancy changes. It has occurred as the result of sin. She starts to think of the baby as a symbol of embarrassment.
        These girls' parents feel the same way, or even worse. They do not regard the baby as their grandchild. If Korean parents know their daughter is pregnant, they do everything to get rid of the fetus. They make their daughters get abortions even seven or eight months into the pregnancy, which I believe is murder.
        There have been cases where parents have asked the doctor to induce labor to cause a premature delivery. This can cause deformed babies. The parents and daughter often leave the baby in the hospital and disappear.
        Regardless of the reasons, these thoughtless actions result in the loss of our humanity.
        In order to prevent more of these tragedies from happening, the government should build more care centers for unwed pregnant teenagers so that they do not feel so desperately alone. Then, at least, babies would not be left in toilets.
        Society must realize that teenagers these days are different from adults. Confucian values have had an effect on many adults. On the contrary, the majority of teenagers accept values from Western cultures. Before it is too late, both the grown-ups and the youngsters must cooperate to preserve the humanity of our society.