Abortions in Lithuania (1): at what age do women choose to terminate their pregnancies, what help do they receive and what do they lack? | 15MAX

Hundreds of thousands of people in our neighborhood, Poland, took to the streets in late October to protest after the country’s Constitutional Court ruled that the country’s laws allowing abortions in cases of fetal malformations were unconstitutional. According to the court, in a country that already has some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe, abortion will only be allowed in cases of rape or incest, as well as when the life of the mother is in danger.

These events have sparked much debate about abortion. There is no common opinion in society: some advocate a woman’s freedom in her body and the free choice of whether to give birth or not, others condemn a woman’s decision not to give birth and often cover her up with epithets like “murder”.

In Lithuania, abortions are allowed and their procedure is regulated by the Ministry of Health. The only legal abortion method in our country is surgical, performed in health institutions.

In the first part of the topic on abortion, we turn to our country and talk about the reasons why women choose to terminate their pregnancies, how to evaluate the decrease in the number of induced abortions, the age at which women end with their pregnancies and emotional and psychological crisis more often. What help does a woman need who is solving such a dilemma in her life, and what kind of help for women is lacking at the state level?

Behind each number is the life and story of a woman

The performance of abortion operations in Lithuania is regulated by the 1994 Decree of the Minister of Health. The Order “On the procedure to perform a pregnancy surgery” was issued, which states that a woman can, at her request, terminate her pregnancy for up to 12 weeks if there are no contraindications for this surgery. It is allowed to interrupt a pregnancy of more than 12 weeks when it endangers the life and health of the woman.

The statistics provided by the Health Information Center of the Institute of Hygiene show that in our country the number of induced abortions is decreasing every year: in 1999 there were 18,846 abortions, in 2009 – 8024, in 2019 – 3196.

The doctors we work with say that they are more approached by women who cannot conceive than by those who want to terminate their pregnancies.

When asked what factors determine the decline in artificial abortions, Crisis Pregnancy Center director Z.Tomilinienė says that low fertility contributes to this: “The doctors we work with say that women who fail to conceive are more likely to to resort to them than those who want to interrupt the pregnancy ”. Another reason, according to the interlocutor, is that more contraceptives are used now than a decade ago.

According to Z.Tomilinienė, these statistics can be rewarding, but if you start to evaluate differently, that there is a person behind each number, the results are not so rewarding.

“If we see it as an advantage in a brochure, then yes, we can be happy that the numbers just go down on their own. But if we look at the fact that there is a person hidden behind each number, 27 thousand are born a year. babies, made more than 3 thousand. abortions, that number is still high.

Also, for each of those numbers we see the story of a woman, then we really understand how serious and deep this problem is, that it can change the lives of women, cause huge psychological problems, “said Z.Tomilinienė.

Reasons why women decide to abort

Approximately 300 women apply to the Crisis Pregnancy Center each year. About two thirds of them are due to unplanned pregnancies. Of the cases known to center staff, 50-60 women give birth. Some women apply to the center only once, then stop communicating, so it is not known what final decision they will make.

When asked why women generally want to terminate a pregnancy, Z.Tomilinienė said there are many, but the most important thing is the relationship with the person from whom she is expecting the child.