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Decree 770
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1967 Romanian natalist decree
Decree 770State Council of Romania<br>Long title
Decree No. 770 of October 1, 1966, on Measures to Regulate Pregnancy Interruption<br>Romanian: Decret Nr. 770 din 1 octombrie 1966 - pentru reglementarea întreruperii cursului sarcinii[1]
Territorial extentSocialist Republic of RomaniaEnacted byState Council of RomaniaEnacted1 October 1966[1]Repealed26 December 1989[2]RepealsDecree No. 463 (1957)Amended byDecree 53 (1972)[3]<br>Decree 411 (1985)[4]Repealed byDecree - Law No. 1 (1989)Status: Repealed<br>The birth and death rate in Romania from 1950 to 2050. Decree 770 was signed by Nicolae Ceaușescu in 1967. The birthrate surged in 1967. It returned to its previous trend, as people found ways to circumvent the decree.
This article is part of<br>a series about<br>Nicolae Ceaușescu
Personal
Early life
Family
Trial and execution
Leader of Romania
De-satellization
Decree 770
1968 speech
Patriotic Guards
Systematization<br>Ceaușima
rural
Danube Program
Austerity policy
1986 military referendum
Political ideology
National communism
Dacianism<br>July Theses
Opposition
Dissent
1977 miners strike
SLOMR
Brașov Rebellion
Letter of the Six
Romanian revolution
Elections
1967
1974
1980
1985
Legacy
Cult of personality
Centrul Civic<br>Palace of the Parliament
Decree 770 was a decree of the communist government of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, signed in 1967. It restricted abortion and contraception in Romania, and was intended to create a new and large Romanian population. The term decreței (from Romanian decret 'decree'; diminutive decrețel ) is used to refer to those Romanians born during the time period immediately following the decree.
Origin of the decree<br>[edit]
Before 1968, the Romanian abortion policy was one of the most liberal in Europe. Because the availability of contraceptive methods was poor, abortion became the foremost method of Romanian family planning.[5]
Through a combination of Romania's postwar modernization, high participation of women in the workforce, and a low standard of living, the number of births significantly decreased after the 1950s, reaching its lowest recorded level up-to-date in 1966. Romanian leaders interpreted the decreasing number of births to be a result of the 1957 decree that legalized abortion.[citation needed]
To counter this sharp decline in the birth rate, the Communist Party decided that the country's population should be increased from 20 million to 30 million inhabitants. In October 1966,[6][7] Decree 770 was personally sanctioned by Ceaușescu. Abortion was declared illegal, except for:
women over 45 (later lowered to 40, then raised again to 45).
women who had already borne four children (later raised to five).
women whose life would be threatened by carrying to term, due to medical complications.
women who were pregnant through rape and/or incest.
Enforcement<br>[edit]
To enforce the decree, society was strictly controlled. Contraceptives were removed from sale and all women were required to be monitored monthly by a gynecologist.[8]: 6 [better source needed] Any detected pregnancies were followed until birth. The secret police kept a close eye on hospital procedures.
Sex education was refocused primarily on the benefits of motherhood, including the ostensible satisfaction of being a heroic mother who gives her homeland many children.
Consequences<br>[edit]
The direct consequence of the decree was a huge baby boom. Between 1966 and 1967 the number of births almost doubled, and the estimated total fertility rate (TFR) increased from 1.9 to 3.7. The generation born in 1967 and 1968 was the largest in Romanian history. Thousands of nursery schools were built. As the children got older, their needs were not properly met. There were cases where lectures were shortened to enable three school shifts. In schools, a student–teacher ratio of over 40 children per class became frequent.[8]: 9 When, after the revolution, lots of businesses closed or shrank their workforce, the latest hires were fired preferentially.[8]: 10
The decree was abolished on 26 December 1989,[9] days after the Romanian Revolution.
Circumvention and mortality<br>[edit]
In the 1970s, birth rates declined again. Economic pressure on families remained, and people began to seek ways to circumvent the decree. Wealthier women were able to obtain contraceptives illegally or to bribe doctors to give diagnoses which made abortion possible. Especially among the less educated and poorer women there were many unwanted pregnancies. These women could only use primitive methods of abortion, which led to infection, sterility, or even their own death. The mortality among...