South Koreas top court ruled Thursday that the countrys highly restrictive abortion law is unconstitutional and set a deadline for officials to lift the ban by next year, nearly 70 years since it was enacted.

Passed in 1953, the law bans most abortions except in the cases of rape, incest and danger to the life of the mother. It also punishes women who receive abortions, as well as doctors who perform the procedure. In the select cases where abortions are allowed, the woman must seek her spouses permission.

In a 7-2 ruling Thursday, the judges on the countrys constitutional court said the ban limits womens rights to pursue their own destinies, and violates their rights to health by limiting their access to safe and timely procedures, and ordered the countrys national assembly to pass a new law legalizing abortion by the end of 2020.