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  • Title: Lack of family planning leading to induced abortion in rural Greece.
    Author: Lovel H, Bakoula C.
    Journal: IPPF Med Bull; 1985 Jun; 19(3):1. PubMed ID: 12280151.
    Abstract:
    29 (31%) of the 94 mothers interviewed in a domiciliary study of the use of mother and child health services in rural northwest Greece reported they had undergone an induced abortion. Most of these women, between 30-40 years of age, had at least 2 children. There was no correlation with the mother's literacy, father's occupation, and family's socioeconomic situation. The rate of abortion reported in this study is consistent with the findings of other Greek studies in urban settings. In the current study it was difficult to identify the exact time when women had undergone the abortion as the topic was delicate. Yet, all women were prompt and sincere in their answers and willing to share their anxieties and their fears about possible effects on subsequent pregnancies. The women had gone to considerable efforts to obtain an induced abortion. These included the inconvenience of going to a doctor in the main town (40 miles away) and incurring travel costs as well as the cost of the operation, which is currently about 10,000 drachmas. Few women (36%) were using any contraceptive method. The 36% included 27% who used condoms and coitus interruptus, 7% the rhythm method, and 2% all 3 methods. Only a few of the more educated women had heard or read about other methods. All of the women were concerned about the risk of becoming pregnant when they used no method or a risky method. In Greece induced abortion is clearly a response to unwanted pregnancies, which follow the lack of family planning or birth spacing services. The government introduced legislation concerning the provision of family planning services in 1980, but the provision of these services has been very slow. Currently, only a few family planning clinics are operational and mainly in the large cities. 1 way to make some progress may be to develop interest in the provision of more appropriate primary health care and more appropriate training of doctors and other health workers. There are few experienced doctors practicing in rural Greece at this time. The key person for providing family planning care could be the rural midwife who is already a respected provider of family advice in the community. Needed is an active program to expand the provision of family planning services to the rural areas of Greece. Contraceptive services must be provided to enable people to limit the size of their family to the size they want without having to resort to abortion. It is time for health care providers to stop saying that what is needed is family planning education and to start providing the actual services.
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