WOMENS HEALTH AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS - ROMANIAN EXPERIENCE

One of the most dramatic chapters in the history of women's reproducti ve rights ended in Romania in 1989. For over 23 years, Romania had pur sued a rigidly enforced pronatalist policy, banning the importation of contraceptives, strictly prohibiting most abortions, and imposing a t ax on childless couples. The aim of this study was to explore, through individual in-depth interviews, psychosocial antecedents and conseque nces of the Romanian policy. The study group consisted of 50 women, ag ed between 18 and 55 years, with diverse sociodemographic and educatio nal characteristics. The interviews focused on sexuality education, se xual experiences, reproductive events, and partner relations. The resu lts show that women's private behavior and efforts to regulate their f ertility prevailed over public policies, regardless of personal risks or costs to health. Concluding observations summarize major findings, results from a 1993 national household survey on reproductive health, and a commentary on the need for ongoing sexuality and contraceptive e ducation and counseling.