Aurora* had two consecutive abortions 10 years ago because her husband blamed her for not being able to have sons. These abortions came after the birth of three daughters.
"I still suffer the consequences of this decision today, I regret it immensely, I sinned with those children," the 43-year-old tells Citizens.
In the period 2000-2020, Albania ranked fourth in the world for the gap in births between girls and boys, – with an average of 111 boys born per 100 girls, according to UN data.
In 2023, Albania recorded a ratio of 108 boys per 100 girls. According to the 2023 census data, the gender gap at birth has been decreasing in recent years. It has fallen to 107 males per 100 females, close to the ratio of 105/100, which is considered the natural ratio.
According to Monika Kocaqi, an expert on gender issues, abortion due to sex selection before birth (selective abortion), which is driven by a preference to give birth to boys, reflects deep gender discrimination and society's prejudices against girls and women.
"Selective abortion manifests the denial of the value and rights of girls and women, even before their birth," explains Kocaqi.
The same fate, conditioned by family pressure, would befall Eleni*, who after four years mustered the courage to share her story. She is now the mother of two daughters and a son, but before giving birth to her son, she had a selective abortion.
"I remember my mother-in-law's words, 'The maids are a burden, thank goodness they're growing up, you should fix them up and marry them off,' while my husband told me that three daughters was too many and that we needed an heir to keep our surname alive," said Eleni.
According to expert Kocaqi, the reason why selective abortion occurs has deep roots in the patriarchal mentality and in the prejudices and gender stereotypes of many years past, but which have been consistently transmitted and have their very strong influence even today.
"If many years ago boys were preferred first and in greater numbers because it was men who defended the country from invasion and went out into the mountains to fight, even today this preference dominates, although it is no longer justified by war, but precisely by the combination of all social, economic and cultural factors that continue to see girls and women as incapable and incapable of leading and inheriting," she analyzes.
Eglantina Dema, a gynecologist, states that selective abortion is prohibited by law.
"Abortion after the 12th week, when gender is also determined, is prohibited by law. However, in unofficial discussions, we have heard in our friendly circles cases of people seeking abortions solely because of gender, but as I said, this is completely prohibited, as it would disrupt gender balance," she confirms to Citizens.
Dema concludes that after the 12th week, abortion is only permitted if the baby is malformed or the mother has health problems, and this decision is made by a special medical commission that reviews and argues the decision.
The deadline for terminating an abortion has also been discussed in the draft law on sexual and reproductive health, which was submitted for consultation by the Ministry of Health in May of last year. It was discussed that the termination of pregnancy should be moved from the 12th week to the 14th week. Although this draft law sparked a lot of criticism, it still remains in the form of a draft, the fate of which is unknown, whether it will be approved or has remained dusty in the drawers of the Parliament.
Aurora* and Eleni* are pseudonyms to preserve the anonymity of the characters.
**This article was written by Edja Feçanji, a participant in the “Voices for Change” academy, organized by Citizens.al.