Cyrillic Partners

Based on “Abortion: Prohibition or Prevention?” Time, October 29. Unfortunately, the map is not reproduced online.

If you look at the world abortion map published by Time, you would see a big red spot: Eastern Europe. It’s the only part of the world with 105 abortions per 100 births. Nowhere else are the statistics as freightening, and the next highest is East Asia, specifically China, with the number falling in half 51 per 100.

China has long had a one-child per family policy that might explain its high rates, but what about Eastern Europe? So what is going on there? My best guess is that contraception methods used in Eastern Europe are not good enough.

My experience suggests that the above statistics are not true for all the Eastern Europe, Belarus at least, would be an exception. Most of the the Eastern Europe and especially countries of the former Soviet Union, have not had a high use rate of birth control pills (BCP), until recently. And the lack of use of BCP and
substitution for other methods is what, I believe, mainly drives the abortion rate up.

Indeed, my recent research based on the data offered by Ministry of Statistics and Analysis of Republic of Belarus, suggests that since early 1990s the usage of BCP has increased by four times! That’s led to a decrease in abortion (now guess the number!), yes it is four times lower for the same period of time, thus reaching almost the same level as U.S. and U.K.

This I guess what the economist should call a pure substitution effect. Now why would the rest of Eastern Europe not use the BCP? Is it that they still have a myth that you will became fat and die from cancer if you use them? Or is it because abortions are provided free of charge, while the BCP are very costly (comparative to the salaries), and are about 20USD per month.

My take? Costs matter. Prove me wrong.

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