Abstract

PIP: From 1974 to the present abortion has been restricted. The number of legal abortion peaked in the late 1960s. There were 130 abortions per 100 live births and the value of the total abortion rate (TAR) was 2.7 per female. Since 1974, the number of abortions has fallen significantly. The yearly number of abortions was lowest at the beginning of the 1980s. It was about 15% higher in 1989 than at the beginning of the 1980s. Family planning sample surveys show the relationship between the development of abortion and attitude to birth control. In the 1960s, abortion was a well-used form of birth control. The pill and the IUD were not yet available, so it was mostly men who used birth control (condoms and coitus interruptus). In 1967, the 1st oral contraceptive was introduced. Between 1969 and 1973 the number of abortions fell by about 20%. In 1974, all females over 18 could use and by pills without medical supervision. The use of oral contraceptives was still growing. From the mid-70s, the IUD began to increase. Now only 3-4% of families use condoms. 1/4 of married women now use abortion as a method of birth control. The number of repeated abortions fell significantly. After 6 years of marriage, there were 28 abortions per married women at the end of the 1980s. The Hungarian abortion ratio is still very high. Unmarried women have more abortions than married women do. Development of the ratio of induced abortions by age-group of females (per 1000 females) is shown in tabular form, as is distribution of 15-39-year-old females by birth control methods. There is also a table describing the distribution of 15-39-year-old married females using contraception by main methods of contraception.