Human Rights Commission: "Restricting Pool Access Upon Seeing Pregnancy Badge Is Unreasonable Discrimination"

Registration Canceled at Sports Center After Over Three Years of Use
"Restrictions Should Not Be Based Solely on Pregnancy Without Considering Health"

A decision has been made that restricting access to swimming pools solely on the grounds of pregnancy constitutes unreasonable discrimination without a rational basis. The intent is that, rather than barring facility use based only on pregnancy, an individual's health condition and ability to exercise should be considered comprehensively.

On June 9, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea announced that it had recommended a university sports center operator take measures to prevent recurrence after the operator canceled a swimming class registration due to pregnancy. The commission determined that immediately canceling the registration solely because of pregnancy amounted to unjustified discrimination. The commission noted that the institution could have considered a variety of alternatives, including requiring a specialist's medical opinion, confirming the individual's health status, establishing a consent procedure for users, and adjusting the intensity of exercise.

A package containing a guidebook for pregnant women and badges given out when registering as a pregnant woman in Seoul. Not directly related to the article. Photo by Jo Yongjoon

The complainant had been using the university sports center's swimming pool since 2022. However, in August of last year, when she was 7 weeks pregnant, she visited to participate in a swimming lesson but was told by a staff member who noticed her pregnancy badge attached to her bag that "pregnant women are not allowed to use the facility." Subsequently, during a phone conversation with the administration office, she was informed that, according to internal regulations, pregnant women could not enroll in swimming classes, and her registration was canceled the same day. The class fee and locker fee were refunded.

The institution explained that, due to the nature of swimming lessons conducted in limited spaces with many participants, there was a risk of safety accidents such as collisions or slipping. It also cited the need to protect the health of pregnant women and fetuses, as well as to ensure the safety of other members, as reasons for canceling the registration. However, the Human Rights Commission regarded pregnancy as a physiological state rather than a disease and pointed out that there are significant individual differences in the health status and exercise capability of pregnant women.

The commission also mentioned that the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's National Health Information Portal advises that, generally, there is no need to restrict exercise for pregnant women and that moderate physical activity, such as swimming or walking, can be beneficial for maintaining health. Furthermore, after investigating the operation of public swimming pools in the Seoul and Busan regions, it found that, out of 42 swimming pools operated by 15 institutions, none had regulations restricting swimming class registration solely on the basis of pregnancy.

A representative of the commission stated, "It is not appropriate to generalize pregnancy itself as a risk factor and restrict facility use on the grounds of protecting pregnant women."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.