“The fetus is the property of the entire society… anyone who avoids having children is a deserter who abandons the laws of national continuity.” Romanian dictator Nicolai Ceausescu
A 1966 campaign to increase the population by banning abortion, divorce and birth control (the latter to be physically verified monthly by gynecologists) went horribly wrong after a doubling of the birth rate was not accompanied by any basic medical improvements. Babies sickened and died for lack of medical care, food, and maternity beds. Desperate women braved machine guns to flee to Hungary, leaving a legacy of millions of hungry orphans, many of them seriously retarded through neglect. In the 1980’s, the country succumbed to an AIDS epidemic of staggering proportions thanks to Ceausescu’s refusal to admit the problem existed.
History House
Familiar goals here. Make abortion illegal, women breeders for the state, ban divorce and birth control, have women’s reproductive histories verified by gynaecologists {the bill has been withdrawn}.
Interesting too that Ceausecu had no interest in providing for the children born, willingly or otherwise. Just as the Foetus Fetishers care only for (un)(pre)(pick trendy gushy word of the day) born.
Todays G&M carries a story by Andre Picard regarding Dr. Henry Morgentaler having so far been overlooked in receiving an Order of Canada. Some commentators to this story see utopia as having the same fascist laws as Ceausecu laid down. Forbidding women the right to reproductive liberty. Placing their wombs in the realm of state property.
I will not accept that my body nor my daughters, nor my granddaughters nor any other womans’ body be nothing more than state property. That our lives to mean nothing more than to breed workers and soldiers.
The laws (or lack thereof) in Canada right now recognize that the majority of Canadians also find this idea repulsive.
Bestowing this award on Dr. Morgentaler would be further proof that Canada and Canadians recognize women’s autonomy from state control.
h/t fern hill at breadnroses Re:Picard story
Great post. I’m so glad you’ve brough tup Ceausescu – I’ve been meaning to write about Romania’s oppression of women under him. I think a lot of people have no idea what went on there and what a horror show it was.
I read somewhere that Ceausescu was later overthrown, ironically, by a generation of disaffected youth who would have otherwise never existed if abortion had been legal. It was Steven Levitt, I believe, who wrote that.
Oh well then obviously it was worth all the degradation and horror the women went through.
I didn’t write it. But you can read it if you want. It’s called “Freakonomics” and it’s available at your local library. It has a longish section about abortion and he argues a causal relationship between abortions in America and reduced violent crime. No doubt you’ve heard of it.