ABSTRACT
It is not legal to perform an abortion on foreign women lacking permanent residence in the Czech Republic; this restriction prevents women from neighboring, more restrictive countries from coming to the Czech Republic for abortions. The spectrum of available contraception has grown considerably; the market is also supplied with more expensive drugs from Western countries. The Czech medication Neogest is fully covered by medical insurance, as is a similar Hungarian drug. A public opinion poll on abortion conducted in April 1991 showed that 61 percent of citizens recognized women's right to choose, with only 4 percent favoring absolute prohibition. Among women aged eighteen to thirty-nine, as many as 93 percent supported the right to choose. The high abortion rate in the Czech Republic is undoubtedly connected to the limited use of contraceptives. Sociologists state that the current abortion law is one of the reasons for this pattern of contraceptive use.
