Image: Seoul Administrative Court
Court Upholds Block on Women on Web’s Abortion Pill Website Access
Ruling cites Pharmaceutical Affairs Act violation; lawsuit dismissed for lack of authority.
The Court has ruled that blocking domestic access to the overseas website, Women on Web, which sells abortion pills by mail, is justified.
The Seoul Administrative Court’s Administrative Division 4 (Presiding Judge: Kim Young-min) recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Canadian NGO, Women on Web International Foundation, against the Korea Media and Communications Standards Commission (KMCSC), seeking to cancel the access-blocking order, the Court announced on 1 August 2026.
Dismissal occurs when a lawsuit fails to meet legal requirements and is concluded without review. The Court stated: “Providing unapproved abortion medication violates the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act,” while deeming the lawsuit improper.
KMCSC requested in October 2024 that domestic internet network operators block access to the entire website, claiming that *Women on Web* provides abortion medications without domestic approval. In February 2025, it also demanded that domain management companies terminate the use of the relevant domain.
Women on Web is an organization that provides abortion counselling and medication delivery services to women in countries where abortion is legally restricted or where access to related medical services is difficult. The organization argued: “In the absence of alternative legislation following the Constitutional Court’s decision that the criminalization of abortion was unconstitutional, activities to assist women in safely terminating pregnancies are justifiable acts under the Criminal Act or unavoidable necessity.”
However, the Court dismissed the lawsuit, stating, “It was an improper lawsuit filed by someone without litigation agency rights.” The power of attorney submitted by *Women on Web*’s legal representative was not notarized, and there was insufficient evidence to recognize that the person who signed the power of attorney had the authority to entrust the lawsuit on behalf of the organization.
The Court also ruled that even if the lawsuit had been properly filed, the access block could not be revoked. It stated that *Women on Web*, not being a licensed pharmacy, provided abortion medications without domestic manufacturing, import, or product approval upon request via mail, which is subject to criminal punishment under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act.
The Court noted, “There are currently no legal provisions punishing abortion itself,” and stated, “Women seeking abortions cannot be considered to be in immediate danger.” The implication is that since abortion is no longer illegal, there is no urgent risk necessitating the provision of unapproved medications in violation of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. This of course is absurd and can easily be dismissed as both anti-abortion and anti-women’s rights. [Editor]
The Court also deemed the measure to block access to the entire site as not excessive. Although the site contains general information on abortion methods, it also allows users to request medications through a separate consultation page. The court stated, “It appears the site was primarily operated for the purpose of providing medications, not merely offering abortion information.”
The website of Women on Web can be found here: Online Abortion Pill Access by Mail Worldwide. It states: “We have supported over 100,000 people worldwide in getting safe abortions.”
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SOURCE: The Chosun Daily, by Kim Eun-gyeong, 2 August 2026. Translation from Korean by Upstage Solar AI. Continued: https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/08/01/OIP76EPVC5F3VAQ4EHYRFKJUC4/.
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Italy is blocking access to web-based abortion information by Women on Web and Women Help Women and so are many other countries
Several major Italian internet providers are blocking Women on Web and Women Help Women, two trusted websites offering abortion information and support.
A new joint study by the global internet censorship watchdog OONI (Open Observatory of Network Interference, Global community measuring Internet censorship since 2012) and Women on Web, exposes the blocks in Italy that began in February 2026, and the techniques behind them.
Countries where OONI has found evidence of blockage of the Women on Web website include: Spain, Iran and Türkiye. SEE: Research reports | OONI. This webpage reports on blockages of WOW websites and other restrictions in well over 60 countries since 2012, some more than once.
SOURCE: Italy Blocks Reproductive Rights Websites Women on Web (WoW) and Women Help Women (WHW).