Abortions were usually performed by the midwife, the person who assisted you in childbirth. They would push down your belly, get hold of your uterus through the inside and dislocate the baby from the placenta. If you still couldn?t have an abortion, you had to go to the hospital.

You could also use a probe, which you inserted into the uterus and them pump alcoholic extract mixed with saline solution, basically boiled water, as there wasn?t much saline solution around. If there was too much bleeding and the baby was still there, you had to go to the hospital. Abortion was a taboo topic in the hospital; there were lots of women there, but the doctor wouldn?t say a word about it; all women in Romanian had miscarriages.

If there were complications, the case was investigated by a special investigation team which existed in every hospital.  Doctors had to let them know, otherwise they would have been into trouble.

Women used to get pregnant a lot, as there were no contraceptive, nothing? But you couldn?t have a baby every time you got pregnant. If you got pregnant every three months, you had to take the chance and suffer all pain. (L. A., 162)

If you wanted to have an abortion, you did it on your own account and suffer the consequences. It was different than it is now- you had to have 4 kids by the time you reached 40.

Abortion was forbidden, they wanted many children to increase the population. We had a law, an Abortion Decree. Abortion was punished with years in prison: doctors, women. Abortion was performed only in special cases and only with approval.

You could have an abortion using a probe, with soap, with oleander solution, stork bill leaves.

You could have curettage some where else and then go to the doctor, and they were more flexible, especially if you gave them some money. If things were really serious, they would call the police. Anyway, people didn?t abandon their children as they do today. There were no institutionalized children in Ceausescu?s time. When they were left orphans, they would put them in homes. This new policy does more harm than good, it?s like a boomerang.

That law on abortion, had some good points: there were exceptions if you had a sick heart, or I don?t know what other problems? everything was organized, and nobody would abandon their children as they do today, there were no abandoned children on Ceausescu?s time. (L. A., 42)

I agreed with that measure, but women should have been explained why it was forbidden to have an abortion and its consequences. I am religious and I have my own convictions, but the others have to be explained why it is good or bad to do something. (M. C. J., 109)