Induced abortion and contraception in central Asian states and Turkey

Alanur Cavlin Bozbeyoglu, Hacettepe University

After the collapse of the USSR, demographic particularities of ex-Soviet Central Asian countries are highlighted. This study aims to make a comparative study on fertility control in Central Asian States and Turkey with a special focus on abortion practice and contraception based on Demographic and Health Surveys. Political transformation in early 1920s, secular state formation, multi-ethnic population mix, Islamic influence in culture, and economic liberalization in early 1990s are common grounds of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkey for their reproductive health behavior. Those countries have quite high abortion rates in spite of their increasing level of contraception. Turkey has the lowest total abortion rate and highest contraceptive prevalence rate (0,38 and 71) and Kyrgyzstan has the highest total abortion rate and lowest contraceptive prevalence rate (1,5 and 59,5) among those countries. Analyses indicate that women who ever used contraceptive methods have higher probability to end unwanted pregnancy with abortion. Higher educated, urban resident, higher economic class women have higher contraceptive prevalence and have much more reliance on abortion in case of unintended pregnancy. Differentiation is occurred not only based on socio-economic but also ethno-cultural characteristics. Three ethno-cultural groups are formed for each country based on mother tongue, ethnicity, religion, and language of communication. Accordingly, particular socio-economic and ethno-cultural groups have higher control on their fertility both before and after conception.