Feb 6, 2024
Tirana (AFP) – When Lina discovered she was pregnant with another girl, she decided to terminate the pregnancy, after her husband grew increasingly violent over the prospect of having a fourth daughter instead of a boy.
The decision was one that has become relatively common in her native Albania and across the Balkans, where a dominant patriarchal culture has pushed many families to pin their hopes on a son.
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
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