Family Planning and Birth Control in Hungary as a Legacy of War Time Sexual Violence and Lobby Work of Gynaecologists

Abstract

In Hungary, the regulation of family planning and birth control intersect with mass rapes committed during the First and the Second World War. The paper observes how the phenomenon of mass military rape influenced ongoing debates on termination of pregnancy, and what legal and practical consequences followed. Cases of rape during World War I sparked public debates that gradually created space for abortion legalisation. The longdiscussed permissive law only came into effect after the mass rape committed by soldiers of the Soviet Army in 1945 followed by the adoption of the Soviet family policy model with all its turns. The article introduces the contribution of the obstetrician-gynaecologist lobby to the debates, more precisely: how could they represent their own professional and financial interests during the policy making processes. Abortion committees and their social role have proven to be crucial for at least one generation of women. The vigorous medicalization and administrative control that began in the early 1950s changed the birth control system by the 1970s: the dominance of abortions was gradually replaced by the widespread use of modern contraceptives. The subsequent population policy campaign (1973) and civil resistance, followed by the heated debates over constitutional regulation after the change of the regime show the fragility of the delicate balance and a possibility for a compromise.

Photo: Fortepan / Urbán Tamás