Abortion Policy in Albania (ficheiro "doc"):
Until 1991, abortion was permitted only when it was necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman or when her physical health was seriously endangered. Abortions were performed for any of up to 30 medical indications. In practice, abortions were sometimes permitted on all but economic or social grounds. All therapeutic abortions had to be approved by the medical commission of the district. The Criminal Code of 15 June 1977 (section 95) punished repeat offenders or those performing an abortion that resulted in the woman’s death or serious disruption of her health with eight years in prison. Otherwise, the punishment was re-education through work or detention for up to two years. A woman performing an abortion on herself without help was punished by a social reprimand or by re-education through work.
The restrictive nature of the law was largely a result of the population policy adopted by the Government of Albania, of which the law was an integral part. The Government pursued an aggressive pronatalist policy. It believed that a larger population was necessary in order to protect the country from foreign influences and exploit its natural resources, which were considered capable of supporting many more people. Prohibiting abortion was viewed as a way of maintaining a high birth rate. As part of the same policy, contraceptives were not imported into the country, and the sale of oral contraceptives was specifically prohibited.
This policy had dramatic health consequences. The maternal mortality ratio was the second highest in Europe, after Romania; an estimated 50 per cent of all pregnancies ended in abortion, mostly self-induced or performed under unsafe and unsanitary conditions. The number of premature births was also abnormally high.
The restrictive nature of the law was largely a result of the population policy adopted by the Government of Albania, of which the law was an integral part. The Government pursued an aggressive pronatalist policy. It believed that a larger population was necessary in order to protect the country from foreign influences and exploit its natural resources, which were considered capable of supporting many more people. Prohibiting abortion was viewed as a way of maintaining a high birth rate. As part of the same policy, contraceptives were not imported into the country, and the sale of oral contraceptives was specifically prohibited.
This policy had dramatic health consequences. The maternal mortality ratio was the second highest in Europe, after Romania; an estimated 50 per cent of all pregnancies ended in abortion, mostly self-induced or performed under unsafe and unsanitary conditions. The number of premature births was also abnormally high.
By the late 1980s, the Government had recognized these realities and moved to counteract them. In 1989, the Ministry of Health issued a directive allowing abortions to be legally performed in cases of rape or incest or when the woman was under sixteen years of age.
Tecnicamente, Enver Hoxha (governante da Albânia até à sua morte, em 1985) não era um "pró-vida", já que admitia o aborto nalgumas situações; no entanto, como a "sua" lei do aborto era mais restritiva que a portuguesa (lei essa com que a maior parte dos nossos "pró-vida" convive sem problemas de maior), pode ser considerado um membro honorário do clube.
1 comment:
Caro Miguel Madeira,
Já deixei uma pequena precisão na caixa de comentários, explicando que a posição deste senhor como meramente conjuntural.
Cumprimentos
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