A HUN-REN Társadalomtudományi Kutatóközpont (MTA Kiváló Kutatóhely) 

Szociológiai Intézete 

tisztelettel meghívja 144. Jour Fixe eseményére

 

Contraceptive Policies in an East-Central European pronatalist context: the case of Hungary
 

Előadók: Sipos Alexandra, Szalma Ivett, Takács Judit (HUN-REN TK SZI),

Hozzászólók: Makay Zsuzsanna (KSH Népességtudományi Kutatóintézet), Albert Fruzsina (HUN-REN TK SZI)

Időpont: 2024. november 14. csütörtök 13:00

Helyszín: Az eseményt hibrid formában tartjuk meg.

Személyesen: Szociológiai Intézet 1097 Budapest Tóth Kálmán utca 4.;  B.1.15 tárgyaló

Online: Zoom link: 

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87563991594?pwd=xyMtaCeJ4N1FJMYZs5ORMs12H0qg74.1

Meeting ID: 875 6399 1594
Passcode: 707934

 

Absztrakt

This paper explores the contraceptive options available to women in Hungary, a vocally pronatalist East-Central-European EU and CoE member-state, characterised by a demography-focused governance for the last 15 years. Contraception is a topic that has received less attention from policymakers and researchers compared to sexual education and abortion in the region. 

This study addresses a gap in published research around the possible bridge between pronatalist family policies and contraception policies as both fields address population growth and demographic concerns from different approaches. While pronatalism, especially selective pronatalism present in Hungary aims to maintain or grow the population by encouraging those “deserving” to conceive, contraception policies aim to ensure access to and exercise of sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR). There seems to be a conflict between pronatalist policies encouraging higher birth rates and contraception policies enabling reproductive autonomy. 

The paper relies on the systematic examination of Hungarian reproductive policies in the 21st century and comprehensive datasets on reproductive policies  to compare contraception access and funding across European countries with a particular focus on Hungary. 

Our findings show that the availability of different contraceptive  methods are widespread across the European region as of 2020. Still, the public funding scheme of them shows differences: Finland and Portugal are the countries that provide full and partial funding to all contraceptive methods, while for example Austria, Denmark, Italy, Latvia, Sweden, and Slovakia seem to provide none based on the database. Some countries like Bulgaria and the Netherlands prefer to provide partial funding instead of full. One important difference to highlight is that currently, Hungary is the only European Union Member State where the emergency contraception pill is prescription-based. As for the sterilization, both women and men have access to such medical intervention but its funding depends on whether it is necessary for the health of the individual or it’s “only” for family planning reasons. 

The results underscore a pressing need for further research to understand the full impact of current contraceptive policies on reproductive health and rights through the case of Hungary. Additionally, they highlight the importance of developing more inclusive, accessible and affordable contraceptive policies that enhance reproductive autonomy and lead to empowerment of individuals to make informed choices about their bodies and reproductive futures. These policies should prioritize access to and affordability of a diverse range of contraceptive methods, accurate and clear information, and comprehensive education on sexual and reproductive health and rights appropriate for each age. This approach would address barriers that limit reproductive choices and lead to a better public healthcare in this field. 

 

Keywords: contraception, contraceptive policies, Hungary, reproductive policies, reproductive autonomy, reproductive empowerment