According to The University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Kosovo has a lower number of abortions compared to the neighboring countries. From the beginning of 2016 until October, there have only been 87 abortions in Kosovo. The women who had abortions were from 15 to 45 years old.
The exact number of abortions in private clinics is not known and sometimes it is hard to get information from them. However, patients prefer them to public healthcare for a number of reasons. One of them is better hygienic and technical conditions.
In Albania and Macedonia, the number of abortions per year is 4,000 – 9,000.
In a short survey by KosovaLive, claiming to only be an illustration, eight from a total of fifteen participants declared that they would accept abortion for different reasons like rape, unwanted pregnancy, health complications, etc.
“In case of rape and if my family asked it of me are the only reasons for which I would have an abortion,” says N.P., one of the surveyed women.
The other seven women in this survey called abortion “a way of murder,” adding that children should in no way have to pay for other’s mistakes.
“I wouldn’t have an abortion, except if there were health complications,” says Florina Qupevaj.
Having an abortion until the fetus is in the tenth week is legal in Kosovo.
Compared to Kosovo institutions that consider it legal, the religious community deems it murder.
Driton Arifi a teacher at madrasa “Alauddin,” a collage for Islamic instruction in Prishtina, says that abortion is not allowed by Islam, especially 120 days after the development of the fetus when it starts to live. However, it is allowed if the life of the mother is at stake.
“Abortions is viewed as an act against human life in its beginning state and is deemed as a highly immoral act,” says Don Fatmir Koliqi, vicar of Prishtina and spokesperson for the Kosovo diocese.
According to Vjollca Avdiu, a sociologist, there are often other reasons, like the gender of the baby, that contribute to making a decision to have an abortion.
“Some cultures consider giving birth to a girl as bad luck and a burden and used infanticide (infant homicide) to violate women. Albanians judge the birth of girls because of the poor financial status of families in rural areas, for this reason our people preferred to have boys.”
Avdiu says that this phenomenon, although still present, is slowly disappearing.
Dr. Zef Ndrejaj, a gynecologist, says that in the University Clinical Center of Kosovo there are more miscarriages than abortions, but that they also perform abortions in accordance with the law.
“Miscarriages are caused by things like infections, uterus anomalies, and chromosome anomalies etc, something we cannot choose. Abortions should be avoided because it’s not a good a choice,” concluded Ndrejaj.
Abortions are performed in a number of licensed private clinics, although Ndrejaj insists that the University Clinical Center of Kosovo has better professional skills. However, he agrees that private clinics have better hygienic and technical conditions.
Njomza Berisha
