Human Rights Monitoring Institute informed public about its position with regard to the proposed legal prohibition of abortions.
In the Infobulletin distributed to its over 3000 subscribers, HRMI suggests that instead of focusing on prohibitive measures attention and resources should be switched to address the causes of the problem. High numbers of abortions in Lithuania is by no means a positive phenomenon, however a direct prohibition is an attempt to fight the consequences instead of addressing the causes, in particular an inability of women to avoid unwanted pregnancies and the lack of motivation to raise children.
Below follows the summary of the distributed text:
“HRMI believes that rigid policies regarding reproductive health and self-determination of women is not an adequate way to address problem of high abortion numbers. Law prohibiting abortions will not solve the problem - it will not eliminate unwanted pregnancies and will not stimulate Lithuanian women to bear children.
The only efficient way is to address the roots of the problem - causes of abortions. On the one hand, measures should be introduced to educate women on how to avoid unwanted pregnancy, and, on the other, to create a favorable socio-economic environment to bear children - research shows that a number of women deny the new life because of socioeconomic difficulties and inconveniencies. Effective intervention is possible only when the problem – an unwanted pregnancy – is not occured yet.
Thus, preventive rather than punitive measures should be a priority of the State policy on this matter, including an adequate sexual education, partial subsidies for contraception, and State socio-economic assistance in raising children.”
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© 2012 Human Rights Monitoring Institute