Political Demography: The Banning of Abortion in Ceausescu’s Romania

1. Pronatalist Policies

1.1. Law 770/1966

1.1.1. Prohibits abortions except if the pregnancy endangered the life of the woman, hereditary disease, if the woman was 45 years old or older, woman had delivered and reared four children, or if pregnancy was a result of rape.

1.1.2. After the law passed, birthrate dramatically increased.

1.1.3. Encouraged women to bear children by giving them financial allowances for families, child-support benefits, maternity leave and work protection.

1.1.4. Protected women's and youth's work, but the women in the labor force tended to have low-status poorly paid jobs.

1.1.5. Mother who bore many children were honored and given titles.

1.2. Ceausescu

1.2.1. Ceausescu wanted to ensure "normal demographic growth of the labor force and the "triumph of socialism", so he implemented these policies.

1.2.2. Opposed gender discrimination

1.2.3. Used anti-abortion propaganda and legislation.

1.2.3.1. Having a large family with many children was considered a noble patriotic act

1.2.3.2. A normal regulated sex life, with normal relations of 3-4 weekly was recommended.

1.2.4. Authorized limited foreign adoption of Romanian babies for money.

1.2.5. Under Ceasescu's rules the citizens of Romania were forced to reproduce in the service of the states. Women's reproductive lives and human rights were exploited.

1.3. New antiabortion law was passed in 1985.

1.3.1. Number of recommended children was increased to 5, and no abortions for anyone under 45 (it had been lowered to 40 previously)

1.3.2. Health practitioners were subject to imprisonment for any infraction against the abortion law.

1.4. 1986 - Campaign to analyze the health of the population

1.4.1. Mainly give annual or tri-mesterly gynecological exams to verify that their reproductive health was adequate.

2. Post-Ceausescu Adoption and International adoption

2.1. Revolution of 1989 liberated women, the day after the execution of Ceausescu, abortion became legal.

2.1.1. Abortion skyrocketed

2.1.1.1. Prices of abortions were increased to discourage their practice. Poor women resorted to cheaper abortions done by non-medically qualified people.

2.1.2. Birthrate declined

2.2. AIDS was rising due to poor hygiene in hospitals, increased drugs traffic and usage, and increased prostitution.

2.3. Married women sometimes became prostitutes with their husbands consent, just to make some money to help out the household.

2.3.1. People would sometimes sell their own children.

2.4. 1991's new adoption law to stop the Romanian baby trade, formed institutional adoption channels to remove private profits from third parties.

3. Human Drama resulting from Pronatalist policies

3.1. Illegal Abortions

3.2. Child Abandonment

3.3. infant AIDS

3.4. international adoption

3.5. surplus babies

3.6. Pregnancies were avoided through illegal abortions, abstinence, and coitus interruptus.

4. Implications for Reproductive Policy

4.1. Romania's experience can be used as a guide for policymakers around the worlds.

4.2. Must focus on the social implications and human costs of restrictive reproductive legislation and policies.

4.3. Banning abortions does not stop women from having then, it simply gives privilege to the wealthy and makes poor women have illegal unsafe abortions.