A unique study published in today's edition of the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care1, provides new evidence about the causal links between restrictions to abortion policy and maternal mortality. The study demonstrates that limiting abortion does not prevent women from seeking pregnancy terminations but simply increases the risks they face.
The study reveals women's fertility rate and abortion rates before, during and after the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu outlawed abortion in 1966 until his death in 1989. Prior to Nicolae Ceausescu's rise to power, access to surgical abortions had been easily available under the Soviet regime. Within days of the dictator's fall, the anti-abortion law was abolished and abortion was made available again on request.
"Countries that increasingly seek to restrict access to abortion and contraception should look and learn from Romania's example... All legislators in Britain and elsewhere who really care about women's safety - and, indeed, women's lives - need to pay attention to these findings,"
Kate Guthrie, spokesperson for the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare said: "This study starkly demonstrates the risks, often with fatal consequences, that women will take to avoid unwanted pregnancy. Equally it shows the dramatic impact that easy access to contraception had on abortion."
1 “The remarkable story of Romanian women’s struggle to manage their fertility.”, Mihai Horga, Caitlin Gerdts, Malcolm Potts.
“Abortion, contraception, maternal mortality and fertility in Romania during the period 1965-2010” Horga M et al.
J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care. "New Study On Post-War Romanian Abortion Policy Demonstrates That Restrictions Result In Maternal Mortality." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 18 Jan. 2013. Web.