Abortions and Contraception Use among Czech and Romanian Women: Comparison of Representative National Studies

Abstract

This article presents the results of representative national studies comparing the behavior and attitudes of Czech and Romanian women regarding abortion and contraception use. Describe the attitudes to abortion and incidence of abortion in female population of these countries. Independently and anonymously conducted questionnaire with 1,011 Czech and 1,001 Romanian women, with the participants' age from 15 to 50 years. The sample represented both Czech and Romanian female populations with respect to age, education, and the size of their place of residence. Questionnaire studies awareness, attitudes, and behavior related to the area of sexual life, contraception, and family planning. Based on the acquired information, it can be postulated that Romanian women, despite having a less liberal opinion on abortions than their Czech peers, undergo abortion more often than Czech women (Romanian 28%, Czech 16%), are less informed about potential side effects, and more often use less reliable methods of contraception (the so-called "natural contraception"-vs. hormonal contraception, which is the method of choice of Czech women). These results indicate that despite more liberal attitudes toward abortion, Czech women have less frequent incidence of abortion than Romanian women and they have more relevant information about contraception and their sexual behavior is more conscious and responsible.