Socialist perspectives on abortion vary. In the first world, some socialist individuals believe in the legalisation and right to elective abortion care as a public service, whereas others do not believe abortion should be legal in any circumstances for a number of reasons. In Third World, there are discussions regarding traditionalists, Natalists, Malthusianists, and economics factors within society.
Socialism impacted a number of countries in the 20th century and had long-standing influence on the law of the countries in which it took hold.
Socialist parties can have diverging perspectives regarding the importance of the issue and where the issue derives from. In particular, feminist socialists believe the oppression of women in society has resulted in restrictions surrounding abortion and a Marxist group may deem abortion as a secondary issue, instead focusing more on what they deem primary issues. Some regions criminalized abortion due to issues concerning the rates of replacement of the population.
Socialist abortion rights in Europe
Regardless of the diverging views and policies on abortion throughout history in Europe, socialist countries and non-socialist countries approached abortion access in a different manner. During the 1970s, there was a stronger socialist presence in Eastern Europe, and therefore more progressive fertility policy. Historically, in Western Europe, many ideologies have coexisted, and this has created strife for suggested fertility policies due to the lack of universal approval. The Eastern Bloc under the Soviet Union had widespread fertility and reproduction policies at the time, and restricted debate on the matter. The debate involved many individuals from the health industry, such as physicians and psychologists, as well as legal workers and economists. The socialist government and their policies on the matter were built with a strong influence from a strong body of knowledge on these areas.
Perspectives on the legalisation of abortion in the USSR
Some people believe the socialist body used abortion regulations to create a more idealistic population, with the intention of strengthening and empowering the state. Elective abortion care was legalised in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1955, with other Eastern European countries also legalising abortion in the years following, such as Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary. Abortion was legalised in 1920 until this action was reversed in 1936 and was once again prohibited until 1955. Prior to 1955, whilst it was illegal, abortions had still occurred and therefore posed a large threat to a woman's health after being treated by unskilled individuals in unfavourable conditions. The major push for legal abortion in the USSR was majorly driven by medical experts who explained the issue to the public. When observing the documentation during this period of abortion legislation comparative to the documents provided by gynaecologists and psychologists, the same language is present within both, with heavy emphasis on focusing on the collective. It is uncertain whether professionals felt pressured to make recommendations that complied with the USSR ideology, or if legal elective abortion services stemmed from the scientific recommendation. After legalisation, women had to request an abortion and pay a fee to an abortion committee. There was an increasing rate of abortions and a decreasing birth rate, so the government released propaganda and punished any doctor or physician who performed illegal abortions in order to ensure proper procedures were followed. In 1979, women who elected to have an abortion procedure were not given pay during their time off work, and the procedure wasn't paid for by the government. However, if the abortion was for health reasons, the fee was covered by the government and they still received paid leave. Additionally, all abortions required women to have one counselling session by a midwife. At this time, 273 abortions occurred per 100 births.