The Obstetric-Gynaecological Practice in the Czech Republic during the
Communist Regime and in the Present Days
THE FUTURE OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY: The Fundamental Right To
Practice and be Trained According to Conscience: An International Meeting
of Catholic Obstetricians and Gynaecologist
Organised by the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC)
and by
MaterCare International (MCI)
Sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Health Pastoral Care ROME, June
17th-20th, 2001
Reproduced with permission
The abortions could have been done only in
hospitals, the doctor-gynaecologist was forced to and had to perform them,
if he/she had refused, they had to leave the field in which they worked and
had to go to another one or to an ambulatory department where their duties
were to fill in applications for abortion. . . The change of the political
system brought a great change in the work of doctors- gynaecologists. No
doctor is forced to perform abortions or has to be involved . . .
Not only medicine, but also our whole society was
strongly influenced by communist ideology. Denying
any and all Christian values was in our branch
especially remarkable in dampening and denying
respect to the conceived and unborn child. The
embryo was a thing, which could be manipulated as
wanted. The pregnancy interrupting -abortion -was
considered to be a routine; it helped to get rid of
an unpleasant and bothering burden. And to stress
that it was not interrupting of pregnancy, ending a
life, it was even called the "menses control" in the
80s.
All the young, starting from basic schools, were
educated in such an attitude and girls and women
were being convinced that it was only them who had
the right to decide what would happen to the
conceived child and if they did not want to be
pregnant that there was a public facility, which
would take care of everything and a doctor, thinking
socialistically, who would solve the situation.
The entire process of pregnancy interrupting was
under the state control. There were so called
abortion committees established under the District
People's Committee, which, upon the woman's request,
decided about being or not being of the conceived
child. The committees also decided when and who
would be allowed to undergo an abortion. Although
such committees should have represented a certain
restriction, the abortion was not a problem at all
due to high corruption. The attitude of the
socialistic state with regards to this problem was
also apparent in the committee structure.
The committees were formed by members of
parliament who did not have any medical,
psychological or social education and they also were
not professionally familiar with the problem. I
myself remember a structure of the committee in
Karlovy Vary, where at that time a shop-assistant
from the vegetable shop was a chairman, a sift
department worker of a big company was a member
together with another state administration clerk
-but all of them with excellent political
background. It is true that a doctor-gynaecologist
was invited to the committee proceedings, but he/she
should only confirm that a request for abortion made
due to health problems met the particular Ministry
decree. He/she could not influence the decision of
the committee.
The committees were dissolved in 1986 when the act
on "artificial interrupting of pregnancy" was
upgraded. The paradox is that the act was much more
liberal and according to the act, it was just a
woman who decided when, where and how many times she
would undergo the abortion. Actually, the only limit
is that the woman can ask for abortion twice a year
at the most but there exist a lot of exceptions,
which make it possible to undergo abortions e.g.
each month.
The abortions could have been done only in
hospitals, the doctor-gynaecologist was forced to
and had to perform them, if he/she had refused, they
had to leave the field in which they worked and had
to go to another one or to an ambulatory department
where their duties were to fill in applications for
abortion. The lack of respect to even an unborn
child led to such situations that children, who were
born in advance or were immature and seriously ill,
were not provided any care (not even basal) in order
not to influence prenatal and postnatal mortality
(and by that the socialistic health service as seen
by the surrounding world). Children who died in such
a way were proclaimed to be born as dead even in
front of the parent and were dying somewhere in the
hospital nooks. When the political situation was
changed after the year 1989, the situation
concerning abortion has not changed a lot. Still,
the same very liberal socialistic act of 1986 is in
force. The amount of abortions has decreased maybe
because of bigger possibilities of birth control and
change in thinking of a number of women (concerning
middle aged women). But abortion is still something
normal for young women and girls! (In our department
more than 1000 artificial interruptions a year were
normally done there in the 80s, while at present the
number is 250 a year.)
But the attitude towards unborn children has
changed remarkably. At present, in any or all
obstetric departments the relevant care has to be
provided to a new-born of any weight categories. I
think that it is also influenced by the fear of
legal proceedings.
The change of the political system brought a
great change in the work of doctors- gynaecologists.
No doctor is forced to perform abortions or has to
be involved (particular investigation, pre-surgical
preparation, anaesthesia, etc.), without stating
reasons. This is only a brief introduction of a
great number of problems. In our consuming society,
where there is still a lack of Christian values, a
few Czech Catholic gynaecologists can act on an open
wide evangelical sphere.