Abortion under communism

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Communist and Marxist ideologies generally allow state-provided abortion, although there is no consensus among Communist parties and governments about how far into the pregnancy abortion should be allowed.

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Communist parties views on abortion

In the Western world, the majority of the supporters of Communism also support abortion on request.

Communist countries

People's Republic of China

Abortion in China is generally legal and accessible. [4] [5] [6] Abortions are widely accepted socially and are available to all women through China's family planning programme, public hospitals, private hospitals, and clinics nationwide. [7] During China's one-child policy, women were subjected to forced abortions and many were subjected to forced sterilization on the orders of officials in some places. [8]

To reduce the high number of sex-selective abortions, the Chinese government banned prenatal sex discernment. [9]

In 2021, China's State Council as well as the non-governmental organization responsible for family planning announced policy guidelines with the goal of reducing non-medically necessary abortions, including by increasing women's access to pre-pregnancy healthcare services. [10]

Cuba

The Cuban government decriminalized abortion in 1965. [11] Women have free access to abortion in Cuba, helping to make it a regional front-runner in women's rights according to Reuters. [12] Late-term abortions require a formal evaluation that is conducted by a committee of gynecologists and a psychologist. [11]

North Korea

The Penal Code from 1950 states that abortion is allowed for "important reasons" up to the seventh week of pregnancy, but that anyone who performs an abortion for no important reason is subject to up to three years' imprisonment. Broad interpretation of the phrase "important reasons" meant that abortion was available virtually upon request, and, reportedly, abortion services could be provided free of charge at provincial hospitals. [13]

As of the UN's 2017 World Population Policies report, abortion is available in North Korea for all reasons, including upon request, and without gestational limits. [14]

Vietnam

The Law of Protection of People's Health, passed in 1989, states that: "Women have the right to have an abortion, to receive gynecological diagnosis and treatment, health check-up during pregnancy, and medical service when giving birth at health facilities." [15]

Vietnam has also adopted policies to ban and prevent sex-selective abortions, among other countries such as Nepal. [16]

Laos

Laos has the strictest limitations on legal abortions among current Marxist–Leninist countries. At this time, abortion is only allowed in order to save the life of the mother. [17]

Former Communist

Many historical Communist countries, primarily in Europe, chose to allow abortion on request or due to socioeconomic factors. The Soviet Union under Stalin and Romania under Ceaușescu, however, took action to further limit abortions, and other Communist countries retained prohibitive laws against them.

Soviet Union

In 1920, Soviet Russia became the first modern country to legalize abortion. [18] In 1933, during the Stalin era, views changed. In the Congress of Kiev in 1932, abortion was criticized for decreasing the country's birth rate. Abortion was finally banned in 1933[ citation needed ]. The number of officially recorded abortions dropped sharply from 1.9 million in 1935 to 570,000 in 1937, but began to climb just two years later, reaching 755,000 in 1939. [19] On November 23, 1955, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, under Nikita Khrushchev, liberalized abortion restrictions. [20]

Poland

Debates surrounding abortion started around 1929 in Poland. By 1932, abortion was considered legal if the pregnancy was a result of a crime where a woman's health was at risk. [21] Despite the protests of the Catholic Church, abortion in Poland was allowed on social grounds in 1956. Subsequently, it was fully allowed in 1959 to protect the life and morality of women that had unsafe abortions. The abortions were provided by public hospitals. [21]

Hungary

Prior to 1953, abortion was only allowed to save the mother's life. In 1953 and 1956, the laws legalized abortion until 12 weeks of pregnancy, in cases of socioeconomic factors. In 1973, although abortion was still allowed for social reasons, the list of other acceptable reasons was reduced. [22]

East Germany

In East Germany, women under 16 years of age, women over 40, and mothers with at least four children were given the right to abortion after applying to a state commission. Abortion was fully legalized by parliament in 1972. [23]

Romania

Before 1966, Romania had the most progressive laws of abortion in Europe. However, after the rise of power of Nicolae Ceaușescu, Decree 770 only allowed abortion to save the life of the mother. It was also allowed for women over 45 years old or with four or more children. (In 1974, the age was lowered to 40; in 1986, it was raised again to 45.) The goal of the ban was a larger population that could drive a larger workforce and consumer-led growth, in order to achieve economic independence from the Soviet Union. [24] Over the span of these 23 years, more than 2 million unwanted children, were born and at least 10,000 women died as a result. The 770 Decree was one of the first laws to be repealed right after Ceaușescu's trial and execution on 25 December 1989; more than 1 million abortions were performed the year after, more than three times the number of children born that year. [25]

Czechoslovakia

An abortion law passed in 1957 allowed termination for, both medical (forming 10% of the cases) and other reasons (the remaining 90%). [26] The law was changed after 1957.[ clarification needed ] The birth ratio decreased, falling below number of abortions. [27]

Bulgaria

Abortion was legalized on April 27, 1956. It was only allowed once every 6 months, and no later than the 12th week of pregnancy, except for medical reasons. To increase the birth rate, the government restricted abortion for certain women in February 1968 by the Decree 188, which discouraged childless women and women with one or two children from having an abortion (although they could possibly have the procedure if they persisted). Only women with three or more children, or women over 45 years ago, had the right to an abortion on request. The time ceiling was also lowered to 10 weeks. [28] In April 1973, women with just one child lost the right to abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, medical emergency, if the woman was an unmarried person under the age of 18, with no living children, or if she was over 45 years, old with a living child. By 1974, unmarried women were allowed to get an abortion. [29]

Yugoslavia

Abortion was legalized in 1952. [30] Article 191 of the federal constitution states that "it is a human right to decide on the birth of children". All the republics of Yugoslavia passed laws between 1977 and 1979 that regulated abortion; in Croatia, for example, abortion was only allowed until 10 weeks of pregnancy, but in Slovenia, it was allowed after the 10 weeks on request.[ citation needed ]

Albania

During Enver Hoxha's rule, abortion was only legally allowed to save mother's life, [31] but in practice could be obtained for any reason. The punishment for a woman who had an abortion was social reprimand by re-education through work. By 1989, abortion was officially legalized in cases of rape, incest, and for women under 16 years old, among other reasons. [32]

Mongolia

Induced abortion in socialist Mongolia was allowed since 1940 to preserve the mother's health, officially recorded in the penal code on July 6, 1960. [33] In 1986, the amendment authorized medical authorities to decide when to perform an abortion, and abortion was fully legalized in 1989. [34]

Afghanistan

The criminal code from 7 October 1976 only allowed abortion to save the mother's life. The socialist government never changed this law. [35]

South Yemen

The law of South Yemen only allowed abortion to save the mother's life, as with North Yemen. [36]

Angola

Abortion remained prohibited in Angola, and was only allowed in order to save the mother's life. [37]

Mozambique

Before 1981, abortion was only allowed to save the mother's life. In 1981, abortion was allowed in case of contraceptive failure. Since then, the law has been interpreted very liberally in some hospitals, leading them to accept women who sign a written statement requesting the abortion. [38]

Benin

The civil code from 8 February 1973 only allowed abortion to save the mother's life, which the socialist government never changed. [39]

People's Republic of the Congo

Abortion was prohibited, but the general principles of criminal law allowed abortions on grounds of medical necessity, with reports suggesting they were also permitted for less immediately dangerous complications.[ citation needed ]

Ethiopia

Abortion was only allowed to “save the pregnant woman from the grave and permanent danger to life or health that is impossible to avert in any other way”. Although the code does not accept broad health, judicial or socio-economic grounds, and doesn't specify whether a threat to health includes both physical and mental health, it does consider a “grave state of physical or mental distress, especially following rape or incest, or because of extreme poverty” a mitigating circumstance in sentencing.[ citation needed ]

Somalia

Since December 16, 1962, abortion was prohibited. The socialist regime never changed the law, but the criminal law's general principles of necessity allowed for an abortion to save the mother's life. [39]

Madagascar

Abortion was prohibited in Madagascar and only allowed to save the mother's life.[ citation needed ]

Grenada

There is no information about the abortion status under the short-lived Grenada socialist government. The current legislation allows abortion to preserve the mother's health. [40]

Other Communist areas

Democratic Federation of Northern Syria

Although Syria only allows abortion to save a mother's life, the de facto autonomous region of the DFNS legalizes abortion for all women. Barbara Anna, a member of the Turkish Communist Party, reflected more broadly on how limits to women's bodily autonomy relate to the imposition of capitalism and imperialism. She compared the situations in the Middle East where women's economic activity and sexual freedom is heavily restricted to the situation in the neoliberal capitalist centre, where women's sexual freedom comes at the expense of constant objectification and commodification. [41]

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia supported abortion, despite the laws of Colombia only allowing it in cases of rape, fetal defects, or a need to preserve the mother's health. [42]

Paris Commune

Article XII states that: "The submission of the children and the mother to the authority of the father, who prepares the submission of each one to the authority of the chief, is pronounced dead. The couple consents freely to seek common pleasure. The Commune proclaims freedom of birth: the right to sexual information from childhood, the right to abortion, the right to contraception. As the products cease to be the property of their parents. They live together in their home and run their own lives." This was in sharp contrast to the French law at the time, which prohibited abortion. [43]

Related Research Articles

The abortion debate is a longstanding, ongoing controversy that touches on the moral, legal, medical, and religious aspects of induced abortion. In English-speaking countries, the debate most visibly polarizes around adherents of the self-described "pro-choice" and "pro-life" movements. Pro-choice supporters uphold that individuals have the right to make their own decisions about their reproductive health, and that they should have the option to end a pregnancy if they choose to do so, taking into account various factors such as the stage of fetal development, the health of the woman, and the circumstances of the conception. Pro-life advocates, on the other hand, maintain that a fetus is a human being with inherent rights that cannot be overridden by the woman's choice or circumstances, and that abortion is morally wrong in most or all cases. Both terms are considered loaded in mainstream media, where terms such as "abortion rights" or "anti-abortion" are generally preferred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion law</span> Laws that allow, prohibit, or regulate abortion

Abortion laws vary widely among countries and territories, and have changed over time. Such laws range from abortion being freely available on request, to regulation or restrictions of various kinds, to outright prohibition in all circumstances. Many countries and territories that allow abortion have gestational limits for the procedure depending on the reason; with the majority being up to 12 weeks for abortion on request, up to 24 weeks for rape, incest, or socioeconomic reasons, and more for fetal impairment or risk to the woman's health or life. As of 2022, countries that legally allow abortion on request or for socioeconomic reasons comprise about 60% of the world's population. In 2024, France became the first country to explicitly protect abortion rights in its constitution.

Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:

Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. They also include the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion in France</span> Overview of the legality and prevalence of abortions in France

Abortion in France is legal upon request until 14 weeks after conception. Abortions at later stages of pregnancy up until birth are allowed if two physicians certify that the abortion will be done to prevent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman; a risk to the life of the pregnant woman; or that the child will suffer from a particularly severe illness recognized as incurable. The abortion law was liberalized by the Veil Act in 1975.

Abortion in the Czech Republic is legally allowed up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, with medical indications up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, in case of grave problems with the fetus at any time. Those performed for medical indications are covered by public health insurance, but otherwise, abortion is relatively affordable in the Czech Republic. In Czech, induced abortion is referred to as interrupce or umělé přerušení těhotenství, often colloquially potrat ("miscarriage").

Abortion in Iran, as can be expected of many government policies, changed drastically between governments.

Abortion in Israel is permitted when determined by a termination committee, with the vast majority of cases being approved, as of 2019. The rate of abortion in Israel has steadily declined since 1988, and compared to the rest of the world, abortion rates in Israel are moderate. According to government data, in Israel, abortion rates in 2016 dropped steadily to 9 per 1,000 women of childbearing age, lower than England (16.2) and the United States (13.2). 99% of abortions are carried out in the first trimester. Despite allegations of permitting abortion under limited circumstances, Haaretz noted in 2019 that this is not the case, and abortion is almost always permitted in Israel.

The timeline of women's legal rights (other than voting) represents formal changes and reforms regarding women's rights. The changes include actual law reforms, as well as other formal changes (e.g. reforms through new interpretations of laws by precedents). The right to vote is exempted from the timeline: for that right, see Timeline of women's suffrage. The timeline excludes ideological changes and events within feminism and antifeminism; for that, see Timeline of feminism.

Abortion in Romania is currently legal as an elective procedure during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, and for medical reasons at later stages of pregnancy. In the year 2004, there were 216,261 live births and 191,000 reported abortions, meaning that 46% of the 407,261 reported pregnancies that year ended in abortion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion in Italy</span> Overview of the legality and prevalence of abortions in Italy

Abortion in Italy became legal in May 1978, when Italian women were allowed to terminate a pregnancy on request during the first 90 days. A proposal to repeal the law was considered in a 1981 referendum, but was rejected by nearly 68% of voters; another referendum aimed at eliminating the restrictions was rejected by 88.4%.

This is a timeline of reproductive rights legislation, a chronological list of laws and legal decisions affecting human reproductive rights. Reproductive rights are a sub-set of human rights pertaining to issues of reproduction and reproductive health. These rights may include some or all of the following: the right to legal or safe abortion, the right to birth control, the right to access quality reproductive healthcare, and the right to education and access in order to make reproductive choices free from coercion, discrimination, and violence. Reproductive rights may also include the right to receive education about contraception and sexually transmitted infections, and freedom from coerced sterilization, abortion, and contraception, and protection from practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion in Colombia</span>

Abortion in Colombia is freely available on request up to the 24th week of pregnancy, due to a ruling by the Constitutional Court on February 21, 2022. Later in pregnancy, it is only allowed in cases of risk of death to the pregnant woman, fetal malformation, or rape, according to a Constitutional Court ruling in 2006.

Abortion in China is legal at all stages of pregnancy and generally accessible nationwide. Abortions are available to most women through China's family planning program, public hospitals, private hospitals, and clinics nationwide. China was one of the first developing countries to permit abortion when the pregnant woman's health was at risk and make it easily accessible under these circumstances in the 1950s. Following the Chinese Communist Revolution and the proclamation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the country has periodically switched between more restrictive abortion policies to more liberal abortion policies and reversals. Abortion regulations may vary depending on the rules of the province. In an effort to curb sex-selective abortion, Jiangxi and Guizhou restrict non-medically necessary abortions after 14 weeks of pregnancy, while throughout most of China elective abortions are legal after 14 weeks. Although sex-selective abortions are illegal nationwide, they were previously commonplace, leading to a sex-ratio imbalance in China which still exists.

Abortion in Spain is legal upon request up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, and at later stages for serious risk to the health of the woman or fetal defects.

Abortion in Costa Rica is severely restricted by criminal law. Currently, abortions are allowed in Costa Rica only in order to preserve the life or physical health of the woman. Abortions are illegal in almost all cases, including when the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest and when the foetus suffers from medical problems or birth defects. Both social and economic factors have led to this legal status. It remains unclear whether abortions are legal to preserve the mental health of the woman, though the 2013 United Nations abortion report says Costa Rica does allow abortions concerning the mental health of a woman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion-rights movements</span> Social movement advocating for legal access to abortion

Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pregnancy without fear of legal or social backlash. These movements are in direct opposition to anti-abortion movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-abortion movements</span> Movement that believes abortion should be illegal

Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in response to the legalization of elective abortions.

Algeria is the most restrictive country in the region regarding abortion. There are many laws and punishments regarding abortion. If there are posters, publicity, public meetings, or group meetings that have to do with abortion, anyone involved can be punished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Socialist perspectives on abortion</span>

Socialist perspectives on abortion vary. In the first world, some socialist individuals believe in the legalisation and right to elective abortion care as a public service, whereas others do not believe abortion should be legal in any circumstances for a number of reasons. In Third World, there are discussions regarding traditionalists, Natalists, Malthusianists, and economics factors within society.

Abortion in Singapore is legal and widely accessible. It was formally legalised in 1974, being one of the first countries in Asia to do so. It is available on request for Singaporean citizens, permanent residents, individuals with an issued student or work pass, individuals who have been a resident of Singapore for a minimum of four months as well as anyone married to a Singaporean citizen or a permanent resident. Foreigners may also obtain an abortion in Singapore if their lives are endangered.

References

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  2. ↑ "Unite to Stop the Right! " Communist Party of Canada - Parti Communiste du Canada". Communist-party.ca. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  3. ↑ admin (6 August 2018). "Marcha pela Legalização do Aborto na América Latina". Pcb.org.br. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "World Population Policies | Population Division". www.un.org. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  5. ↑ "The World's Abortion Laws". Center for Reproductive Rights . Retrieved 2022-07-06.
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  8. ↑ Hvistendahl, Mara (17 September 2010). "Has China Outgrown The One-Child Policy?". Science. 329 (5998): 1458–1461. doi:10.1126/science.329.5998.1458. ISSN   0036-8075 . Retrieved 14 July 2023.
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  10. ↑ "China to reduce abortions for 'non-medical purposes'". Reuters. 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  11. 1 2 Bélanger, Danièle; Flynn, Andrea (2009-01-01). "The Persistence of Induced Abortion in Cuba: Exploring the Notion of an "Abortion Culture"". Studies in Family Planning. 40 (1): 13–26. doi:10.1111/j.1728-4465.2009.00183.x. ISSN   0039-3665. PMID   19397182.
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  21. 1 2 "The Struggle for Abortion Rights in Poland" (PDF). Sxpolitics.org. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  22. ↑ Buranbaeva, Oksana; Mladineo, Vanja (30 September 2011). Culture and Customs of Hungary. ABC-CLIO. ISBN   9780313383694 . Retrieved 22 August 2018– via Google Books.
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  36. ↑ "Data". www.un.org.
  37. ↑ "Abortion Policy". Angola: 1 – via UN.
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  39. 1 2 Guttmacher Institute. (2018, March). Abortion In Africa. Guttmacher.org. Retrieved from https://guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/factsheet/ib_aww-africa.pdf
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  41. ↑ "Kurdish women call for YES vote". LookLeft. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
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