More children at any price in Slovak family planning

The anti-gender mobilization across Europe is intricately intertwined with pro-Russian policies amidst the ongoing war, which has a detrimental impact on women’s reproductive rights. In 2022, the Slovak parliament sought to restrict abortion access for non-permanent residents, which, in effect, targeted Ukrainian women, the majority of whom are survivors of sexual violence. In a manner analogous to that of illiberal Hungary, the Slovak government employs gender as a symbolic glue to reinforce its political authority at the expense of women, ethnic and sexual minorities. An understanding of the historical trajectory of reproductive policies and women’s rights in the region is crucial for countering the false populist narratives surrounding anti-gender policies.

Denisa Nešťáková’s monograph addresses a significant gap in the historiography of birth control in East Central Europe by offering a reinterpretation of Slovak sexual and fertility history. This English-language volume on the history of birth control in Slovakia has the potential to facilitate a more nuanced understanding of the social and gender history of the region. The text challenges the conventional historiographical approach, which tends to view the Second World War as a dividing line, by examining the evolution of birth control from the First World War to the consolidation of the communist regime. This approach allows for the investigation of continuities and discontinuities. Personal accounts throughout the book facilitate a more intimate engagement with the historical period, with a particular focus on women belonging to ethnic and national minorities.

The first chapter covers the interwar period and the progressive reproductive policies of the First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1939). By elucidating the demographic consequences of the Great War, the social impact of poverty, the one-child system, the advent of modern contraceptive practices, and the emergence of feminist activism, this chapter illuminates the multifaceted nature of population decline, which triggered the pronatalist turn in the early 1940s. Additionally, the chapter highlights individual experiences through a detailed examination of court cases. For example, Kristína, a 15-year-old housemaid, was raped and abused by her landlord. Her narrative encompasses a range of experiences, including sexual violence, class inequality, the exploitation of young girls, and forced illegal abortion, a common occurrence for housemaids during the interwar period. (p. 44.) 

This book also addresses the pivotal question of modern historiography: who writes history? In addition to providing a platform for previously unheard female voices, Nešťáková also traces the sources written by women. From the authors of the communist women’s journal Proletárka to the anonymous pro-choice group Women of Trnava, this book reveals hitherto hidden aspects of the history of women and gender in 20th-century Slovakia.

The second chapter provides an overview of the Slovak State during the period of the Second World War. This was the era in which the Catholic Church exerted the greatest influence on family policies and the regulation of reproduction. The Church’s moralizing attitude encountered the demands of the state, which espoused a pronatalist ideology. The chapter examines several aspects of women’s experiences during the 1940s, including prostitution, clandestine abortion networks, and wartime rape. By incorporating these experiences of violence and coercion into the history of family planning, Denisa Nešťáková opens up new space for discussion. The intertwined nature of patriarchal oppression, sexual intimidation, female activism, and marital alliance reflects the complex and multifaceted nature of reproductive history. The case of Valéria, a Jewish poetess who was the lover of a Franciscan monk during the 1940s, illustrates the Janus-faced nature of the period. Their relationship contravened both the secular anti-Semitic Jewish Code and the teachings of the Catholic Church. Their long-lasting affair resulted in the birth of a child in 1942, which was an explicit transgression against celibacy. Nevertheless, it proved to be a means of survival for Valéria and their daughter, Dagmar. (p. 99.)

The third chapter examines the impact of the Second World War, including the prevalence of rape and abortion, and highlights the contested nature of the transformation period between 1945 and 1948. For instance, the Hungarian Helena, a mother of three, suffocated her newborn child conceived outside of marriage in 1948. This act was motivated by the deterioration of her life circumstances due to the government’s discriminatory policies targeting the Hungarian minority. This desperate act can be seen as the outcome of the devastating post-war economic status, the stigmatization of out-of-wedlock childbirth, and the gendered effects of war on families. (p. 168–69) Reproduction-related crimes also incorporated illegal abortions after the war, as illustrated by the story of Anna, a former assistant nurse, who was known as an “angel-maker”. Her court case revealed the existence of a clandestine abortion network, demonstrating that women from lower social classes were more likely to seek the services of unqualified abortionists, while women from higher socioeconomic backgrounds could afford the services of doctors, who were believed to be more professional and less likely to result in criminal punishment (p. 170–71). The chapter then transitions to an examination of gender relations in communist Czechoslovakia. The legalization of abortion (1957) and the introduction of modern contraception (the Slovak pill Antigest and the IUD “DANA” in 1965) fundamentally altered women’s relationship with their bodies and sexuality.

This book has the advantage of uncovering previously unexplored sources, and the translation of excerpts facilitates the dissemination of Slovak political, popular, and ecclesiastical discourse to non-Slovak readers. Furthermore, the volume examines the role of women in reproductive decision-making, challenging the conventional narrative on former socialist countries and the perceived lack of individual agency. The Catholic Church’s perspectives and their impact on state family policy within various regimes have revealed previously undiscovered phenomena regarding the sexual history of the former Communist Bloc. Consequently, this book, which analyses various actors and agencies in modern Slovakia’s reproductive history, offers novel perspectives on East Central European family planning. It is imperative to comprehend the historical context surrounding the attacks on women’s rights and the subsequent challenges this has posed. This knowledge can facilitate an understanding of contemporary challenges to reproductive rights and the formulation of effective solutions.