Investigating abortion in the county of Zadar Between 1997 and 2000

Abstract

Articulating within their research project abortion as a social phenomenon, the authors discuss its manifold aspects and the many contentious issues pertaining to rights and obligations, good and evil, welcome and unwelcome behavior. This research theme is burdened with powerful emotions and passions which limit rational discussion or the possibility of cultural consensus. Because of these reasons the authors undertook a longitudinal empirical research project comparative in nature whose subject matter was abortion. The text describes the research results gathered during the period between 1997 and 2000. Within the Zadar county 580 pregnant women were covered by the investigation who during the time of the research were less then three months pregnant and who had undergone so-called artificial termination of pregnancy or abortion during the time the research project was being carried out. Although Croatia is one of the liberal countries declaring a regulated right to abortion Ibis phenomenon, within the social reality, manifests itself as complex and contradictory. The project confirmed the hypothesis that there were three basic reasons for the large number of terminated pregnancies. The first is a low level of education concerning prevention of pregnancy, the second is ignorance about contraception and the third is a significant lack of responsibility in regards to family planning. The research showed that most of the women covered were satisfied with their marriages. They mostly resorted to abortion because of social indications, only afterwards came eugenic considerations while medical and psychic indications were of less import. The authors conclude that, heedless of this, every mother (women or girl) had the freedom to make a decision about the life or death of their child. They believe it is necessary to apply more adequate social measures alongside more precise and original explanations of rules and laws. Interdisciplinary discussions affirming ethical codes of behavior cannot be avoided in the future. All of this can be implemented in more democratic social relations.