TIRANA, Apr. 16- In Albania abortion was made legal in 1995 and since then it has marked significant drops. However, specialists claim that there are major concerns with selective abortion, or gender-based, when the woman is faced with hard choices. Women report that their main reasons for abortion are unemployment and grave socio-economic conditions.
Abortion is a vulnerable issue also in developed countries. Official authorities have claimed that pregnancy terminations among the groupage 15-49 years old are declining. If in early 90s there were 1 abortion per 2.2 births, these numbers on 2017 were 1-to-5.7. Specialists say that a success to this, is the lowering in abortions demanded by women. From 76 percent two decades ago, this indicator has been reduced to 23 percent of the total.
The level present in Albania equals that of the region, and is lower than the Eastern countries. Specialist from the Institute of Public Health Alba Merdini said that in Albania 68 percent of the total abortions are within the groupage 18-34 years old. She added that teenagers amount a 4.8 percent of the total number.
However, a continuous debate in Albania is the selective abortion, which is disruption of post 16-week pregnancy. This is also associated with a gender-based idea, as by this point of pregnancy the sex of the fetus is made available. Once the sex of the fetus is determined to be female, patriarchal mentality, pressure from husbands and society, have pushed many women to undergo illegal and life-threatening procedures of pregnancy terminations. There are two national studies by the non-governmental organization World Vision, the United Nations Population Fund and Together For Life on selective abortion.
“These are national studies which show that the ratio of male-female births in Albania is 112 males versus 100 females, which means that the male-female ratio should be 105 to 100. According to the UNFPA study is an oblique ratio, indicating that selective abortions are still taking place for the sake of existing prejudices, so the sex before birth is selected,” said Bruna Ylviu from the Center for Population and Development.
Alba Merdini from the Public Health Institute said that Albania has always had a higher ratio at 106 equalling to a natural ratio, thus indicating that there are no real statistics to prove that the higher male-to-female sex birth rates is linked to selective abortion. But the World Vision organization alleged shocking evidences from terrain investigations, even though it cannot provide official reports of selective pregnancy terminations. This organization brings the story of a woman which was put in front of a difficult disposition and abnormal choices when she found out that also her second expectant baby was a female.
“I did not want to, I got very upset, because also of our mentality that it was a girl, but also I could not afford it. It must be a boy because they’d [husband’s family] say that the bride made two girls, did not give birth to a boy, our son was left with two girls. From the depression I tried to remove the baby. I’d say all the time I’ll have it taken, I’d make heavy work by lifting weights so I could abort in spontaneous ways,” testified the woman for World Vision.
This woman was brought up with the prejudice that the life of a boy is more valuable than that of a girl’s. But with the help of World Vision she managed to give birth to her daughter, who is a health seven year-old today.
Since 2007 the abortion in Albania is allowed to be conducted only in the state maternity hospitals and two private ones. This procedure would be previously applied in other private clinics. 64.7 percent of the total of abortions are undertaken by women living in urban areas. The regions with the highest abortion ratios in 2017 were Vlora, followed by Berat and Tirana, and then other cities. Specialists report that the overwhelming majority of abortions are made by women who are uneducated, unemployed, or living in severe socio-economic conditions. Merdini said that 50 percent of the women are have middle school and high school education, and only 18 percent have higher degrees. She added that they are mostly married, but 80 percent of them are unemployed and uninsured.
Doctors connect the decline in abortion numbers with the usage of contraception pills, and information regarding them us also offered in the education curriculum. Doctors said that abortion with the woman’s demand starting the sixth week until the legal limit of twelfth week, can have its own complications, such as hemorrhage in the cervix. Gynecologist Mirela Rista said that other more severe complication such as tears, require surgical interventions. She also added that in later pregnancies infections might appear as side effects. Procedures happening after the legal boundary are usually due to medical reasons.
Specialists have said that prior to abortion legalization in 1995 half of the motherly deaths happened due to provoked illegal abortions, which nowadays amount to zero. Yet, doctors have admitted to encourage women to take all their pregnancies in births to boost a growth, as birthrates have dropped by 50 percent in the past two decades.
“It is not easy to be part of the decision making to an abortion. Pleasure is when you assist in birth, to make a family happy. Pregnancy suspension it is not part of the pleasure,” said Dr. Rista.
