News Center- “Every abortion is murder. Raped women should give birth; the state will look after their children, if necessary. Their mothers can kill themselves. The mothers don’t have the right to end a life,” we can write more sentences used against women. Those who say these sentences are all men and politicians. In Turkey, the decisions about women have been discussed over the population planning but not over women’s health, the right to give birth, or freedom. Today, abortion is legal but it is actually forbidden in Turkey. Most women applying to hospitals have been prevented from having an abortion; some women are told, “We don’t provide it” while others are given an appointment to be late for using the legal period for abortion. Abortion is a new argument in Turkey. It has been discussed over “population problem” for many years and the politicians make decisions on this problem. 

Banned years

There is a long history of the abortion debate in Turkey. The "population problem" experienced after the First World War was felt in this region, particularly starting in 1911 continued until 1922. War casualties, famine, and epidemics caused the population to decline. In the process of the foundation of the republic, population planning became one of the important topics. During that period, those who had an abortion faced sentences, because population growth was also considered as a matter of survival. In 1938, the legal minimum age for marriage was set at 17 years for men and 15 years for women. The sale of contraceptives was banned in the country. Even advocating birth control or abortion was a banned topic. 

25,000 women died in a year

As a result of these decisions taken with the love of protecting the generation, many women suffered a lot. Many women sought a way to have a miscarriage. The attempt of many women to have a miscarriage or abortion resulted in death. When the number of women trying to have a miscarriage or abortion at home by using many methods increased, this issue became the main topic of conversation again in the 1950s. But everything moved so slowly. Finally in 1965, with the Law on Population Planning, population increasing policies were abandoned and the use of contraceptives became legal. Abortion was still illegal. But abortion was allowed if the pregnancy caused a risk for mothers and fetus. 

In 1970, a new abortion argument started. But that time, women’s organizations and doctors were among those who discussed it. A common report was prepared, and the state was told “Considers abortion based on medical socio-economic and moral values as a government service and makes it free.”  It was written in a report that about 500, 000 women had a miscarriage at the beginning of the '70s. It is estimated that 25,000 women died due to miscarriage in 1979. 

1 million abortions in 1 year

The Law on Population Planning No. 2827 introduced on May 27, 1983, ended the legal prohibition on abortion, and in November, the law began to be implemented. According to the law, a woman can have an abortion if the gestation period is longer than 10 weeks and the period can be extended 10 more weeks in case of medical necessity. However, the law could not put into effect immediately due to the difficulties in education, hospitals, and the pressure of society. Over time, a considerable increase in the number of women who had an abortion was seen. That increase was also written in a report prepared by the International Planned Parenthood Federation in 1994. Turkey came in first in European countries providing abortion. It is stated that one million women had abortions in a year. 

Have 5 children not abortion

Abortion became legal in Turkey but the politicians' discourse about abortion never ends. They kept doing politics over women's bodies. In 2012, President Erdoğan said, “Every abortion is a murder” and that discourse caused new discussions on abortion. Even some demanded to reduce the legal period from 10 weeks to four weeks. As we mentioned before, abortion is legal in Turkey but it is actually forbidden due to the politicians' statements, pressures, and conservative discourses. As we enter the first days of 2021, the survival of Turkey’s population has been discussed by men. And today women are recommended to give birth to five children.

•         Women's right to abortion should be secured and the de facto prohibition should be ended.

•         The legal period of 10 weeks for abortion should be increased to 12 weeks.

•         In pregnancies resulting from rape, the abortion period should be at least 24 weeks.

•         When married women want to terminate their pregnancy, women's decisions should be taken as a basis.

•         Regulations that give doctors the right not to provide abortions should be removed.

•         The contraceptives and medicines required to prevent unwanted pregnancies must be free and easily accessible.