Albanian Women Remember Fear of Abortion During Communism

Albanian Women Remember Fear of Abortion During Communism
The danger of having an abortion in communist Albania did not stop huge numbers of women from taking this perilous path – but for many of these women, the fear and stress of those events has left lasting traces.

Fatjona Mejdini
09 Nov 17

Mira was a 24-year-old tailor from Tirana in 1979 when she found out that her 25-year-old lover had made her pregnant.

“I was shocked and scared since we had no chance of marrying soon. I couldn’t have a baby without getting engaged and married first, as that would have shamed my family and especially my brother in front of society. So I decided to find a way and abort it,” she told BIRN.

Abortion was a crime in communist Albania as it contradicted the party directive to increase the population at almost any cost.

Continued at source: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albanian-women-remember-fear-of-abortion-during-communism-11-06-2017