Before 1966 Roumania had one of the most liberal abortion policies in the world and in fact abortion - at the rate of 4 to every 1 live birth - was the principal means of birth control.
In 1966 Caeusescu made abortion illegal in Roumania with the intent of strengthening Roumania by increasing the population. At the same time all contraception and sex education were banned and special police agents regularly rounded up women in their workplaces to administer pregnancy tests. Any woman who repeatedly failed to conceive was forced to pay a very steep 'celibacy tax'.
Within one year of the abortion ban Roumania's birthrate had doubled.
Children born after the abortion ban did worse in every measurable way than children born the year before it. Their health was poorer, they tested lower in school, had less success in the labour market, had less stable marriages, contracted more stds, and proved to be worse parents. They were also very significantly more likely to commit criminal acts.
Abortion was reinstated within one year of Caeusescu's death in 1989 and currently runs at 1 abortion for every 22 live births. Children born since the reinstatement of abortion have done better in terms of their health and schooling and have had markedly lower crime rates than their earlier cohorts at the same age.
We could all hazard guesses why these outcomes may have occurred. It's my opinion that unwanted pregnancies lead to unwanted children. A child raised unwanted will be resented. A resentful mother is not a good mother.
Enforced motherhood adds to and exacerbates the maternal problems which may, had the abortion law remained liberal, have led to early termination of the pregnancy. On the data this seems incontrovertible.
Women who find themselves unhappily pregnant choose to terminate for a variety of reasons: she may be unmarried or in a bad marriage, in her teens and think herself too young to take on a long term responsibility for an infant dependant, or perhaps want to continue her education so that in future she and any child she may have later enjoy a better standard of living, or she may be unemployed and believe herself too poor to raise a child. She may be a drug user or heavy drinker and fear the effect that would have on a foetus and later on the child.
For any one of dozens of reasons she may feel that she cannot provide a home environment which is conducive to raising a healthy, happy and well socialized child. The data from Roumania shows that she is correct.
2 comments:
Crikey that was very interesting. Makes you really think! Thanks for sharing. Laine xxx
Geez, is it any wonder why Caeusescu and his wife were assasinated in 1989??
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