An article by Kathimerini newspaper reveals the findings of a study on the increased abortions and decreased birth rates in Greece since the start of the financial crisis.
According to Kathimerini’s report on the study, which was presented during the 7th Panhellenic Conference of Family Planning in Athens between October 17 and October 18, since the commencement of the ongoing financial crisis, abortions have doubled while births have fallen by 30%. Assisted pregnancies have also decreased by 20%.
The study found that for every 1,000 pregnancies in Greece, 140 will be aborted. The report notes that while in 2005 there were 200,000 abortions annually in Greece, there are 300,000 abortions each year at the moment.
While birth rates may have decreased, the presentation also revealed that more than 30% of sexually active Greek teens do not use any type of birth control. One of the effects of this is the spread of the HPV virus, which according to the World Health Organization is a significant cause of cervical cancer.
Kathimerini reports that the vaccination of Greeks against HPV is lacking in comparison to other European Union countries. Only 35% of Greek women have been vaccinated for the disease.
Efthimios Deligeoroglou, a University of Athens professor of obstetrics and gynecology was quoted as saying,“There has been a reduction in the number of teenage abortions in Greece and I believe this is connected to the HPV vaccine campaign. However, the numbers for the vaccine are low. Greek mothers need to be convinced that it’s safe and encourage their children to have it.”
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