SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's Constitutional Court has ruled that the country's decades-long ban on abortions is incompatible with the constitution, setting up a likely easing of restrictions.

Abortions have been illegal in South Korea since 1953 except for a few exceptions, such as when a woman is raped.

Convictions for violating the ban are rare. But the illegality of abortions creates a social stigma.

The court's nine-justice panel said Thursday that it asked parliament to create legislation to ease the current anti-abortion regulations by the end of 2020.

It says the current abortion ban will be repealed if parliament fails to come up with new legislation by then.