Abortions in Azerbaijan increasing

According to official data of the State Statistics Committee, over the past four years the percentage of registered abortions in Azerbaijan has almost doubled.

The number of abortions has been increasing annually, while the number of live births has steadily been decreasing. In other words, four years ago one in six pregnancies were terminated, whereas now the ratio has increased to one in four.

Experts generally agree that the reason for this is a lack of education among the population.

Gynaecologist and obstetrician Elnara Huseynova says:

“This problem is especially acute in remote regions of our country, where women refuse to use contraceptives in any situation. Many women are still convinced that hormones are evil and damages their health, but abortions are much more evil,” Huseynova told the Ekho newspaper.

Leila Mammadova, a doctor at the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Azerbaijan, thinks that there is another reason for the increase indicated in the abortion statistics. In her opinion, the increase in the ‘official’ number of abortions is due to the fact that the data collection and registration system in hospitals has improved and therefore more abortions have been recorded.

The most common cause of abortions in Azerbaijan relates to the gender of an unborn child. Families want to have an heir – a boy – who would be a helper in the household, and they get rid of girls. Selective abortions remain one of the most pressing problems in Azerbaijan.

More on the problem of selective abortions in Azerbaijan:

Second-rate children

The girls who will never be: an old topic, new stories

Selective abortions yet again causes uproar in Azerbaijan