With 100,000 to 120,000 abortions a year in the last couple of years, Romania ranks fourth in the European Union, while topping the EU chart on the ratio between births and abortions. This worrying figure was revealed by a study from the Institute of Public Policies, which found that on average, 350 to 400 abortions are performed every day in Romania.

More worrying is the fact that over 46 percent of Romanian women are not concerned over unwanted pregnancies and most of them – over 80 percent - think the state should get involved in preventing unwanted pregnancies, the study reveals. Insufficient and inefficient education on family planning and reproductive health in Romania are at the root of this, according to the Institute of Public Policies.

Half of Romanian women say they have never had sexual education classes, while over half haven't been to a gynecology consultation in the previous year. A 5 percent ratio have never been to a gynecology consultation.

“We have to treat the cause, not the effect. In this situation, the effect is abortion. The solution to diminish at least the number of abortions is prevention,” said doctor Rodica Tănăsescu, president of the National Society for Family Medicine.

Over a third of the respondents in the research said they had at least one abortion, while a quarter of the women over 33 said they had at least one abortion. However, the number of women aged 18 to 32 who have had at least an abortion was down compared to previous years.

Most Romanians – 67 percent – say they know enough about birth control methods, but they don't use them. Almost half say they don't use a condom, while over half don't use birth control pills. Half of those who never use birth control methods say they don't use birth control pills because they've worried about their side effects. Others blame it on their partners: 12 percent of Romanian women say their partners would not approve of using birth control pills.

The lack of partner support is obvious when it comes to abortion, as most Romanian women go by themselves to the doctor to have the pregnancy interrupted. The situation is a bit different in the capital city Bucharest, where partners usually accompany women to the doctor.

IPP's research, financed by Merck Sharp & Dohme, was carried on between February 38 and March 10, on Romanian women between 18 and 49.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Sxc.hu)