The Discourse and Control of Reproduction in Communist and Post-Communist Romania
The Discourse and Control of Reproduction in Communist and Post-Communist Romania

Summary/Abstract: This article analyzes the prevalent discourse and policies in the field of reproduction in Romania starting with the 1966 ban on abortions and culminating with recent public statements and proposed regulations. It will argue that the severe control on women’s bodies exercised during the communist regime was primarily motivated by nationalist ethos and traditional attitudes towards sexuality. Meanwhile, contempoirary political discourse and proposed measures are often shaped by a mixture between nationalist and conservative ideology. The ethnic dimension of these doctrines is also being discussed in the paper, as well as the social impact of the regulation of reproduction upon gender relations.

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