200,000 abortions vs. 100,000 births a year
A quarter of all Greek women admit to having experienced at least one unwanted pregnancy, according to a survey by the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine and the Metron Analysis polling agency, released yesterday. This results in 200,000 abortions annually, double the number of births. Seventy percent of girls aged 16-18 said they obtained information on contraception mainly from their friends. The center’s director, Yiannis Toundas, said that a majority of men (80 percent) and women (70 percent) admitted they were not sure when a woman’s fertile days were, even while 70 percent of both men and women thought they were fully informed on birth control. But about 60 percent either said they thought vaginal douches using only water reduced a woman’s ability to conceive, or admitted that they had no idea as to its effectiveness. Government spokesman Christos Protopappas said there was little the state could do because «the judiciary is independent.» He added that at military areas, «there are signs everywhere informing the public that photography and such actions are forbidden.» The group is to appear in a Kalamata court on Tuesday, Zacharias said. Until then, the 13 men will be held in a prison in the southern town of Nafplion, and the British woman in the high-security Athens Korydallos prison, the only one with a women’s section. (AP)
