The Banning of Abortion in Ceausescu's Romania

1. "Family Planning" Under Ceausescu 1. All contraception was banned 2. Abortion was generally banned, with some exceptions; rules became stricter over time 3. This created a black market for both of the above a. Underground abortion became as rampant as it was unsafe b. Wealth and connections made these adaptations easier/better

2. Pronatalist Policies 1. Regime encouraged and later demanded reproduction 2. Had social policies that made life easier on paper, but had little impact in practice 3. Invasive policies - frequent exams to check for pregnancy; closely monitored once discovered 4. Taxes on those without children 5. Coercion of doctors to comply with programs, report those who didn't 6. Exceptions a. Demanded to reproduce, unless you weren't desirable ethnicity (Romanian, mostly) b. Lucrative "baby trade" by state that was counter to "reproduce the workforce" ideology

3. After Ceausescu 1. Abortion became legal and even more preferred as top method of birth control because: a. it was cheap b. people were used to it c. contraception was still scarce, for years had been discouraged d. sex/reproductive education was poor 2. State and NGOs tried to remedy these and more problems with minimal success

4. Women in General 1. Used by the regime under the guise of being empowered 2. Control over their bodies came in form of illegal actions 3. Double and triple burdens of worker, reproducer, housework