A teenager who gave birth in a toilet at her home and then left the newborn unattended, leading to the baby’s death, has been sentenced to prison.
Yonhap News Agency reported Friday that the Suwon District Court’s Criminal Division 11, presided over by Chief Judge Song Byeong-hun, sentenced the girl, identified only as A, to an indeterminate term of 2 years to 2 years and 6 months for child abuse resulting in death. The court also ordered her to complete 40 hours of a child-abuse treatment program.
A was indicted without detention over an incident in 2024, when she was 17. Prosecutors said she gave birth in the master bedroom bathroom at her residence in Gyeonggi Province, and the baby fell into the toilet and died.
The court said A did not tell her family she was pregnant and was unable to prepare properly, and that she gave birth suddenly without help from her boyfriend. It said she appeared to have failed to respond appropriately due to shock immediately afterward.
“Human life is a precious value that cannot be exchanged for anything, and a newborn’s life is no exception,” the court said. It added that although A was still a minor, she had a mother’s duty to raise and protect the child, but took no minimum steps and abandoned the baby, resulting in death.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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