The Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile (IICCMER) and the National Agency for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men (ANES) organized the event “A Politics of Fear: A Generation of Women and Children Paid for with Sacrifice” on 12-13 October 2026. The event opened with a press conference on Monday, 12 October at 10:30 am at the IICCMER headquarters in Bucharest, 13–19 Alecu Russo Street.
More than 10,000 women died between 1966 and 1989 due to complications from clandestine abortions. They left behind children, families, and losses that were often spoken of only in whispers. Six decades after the adoption of Decree No. 770/1966, this event brought attention to the place these women hold in the public memory of Communism’s victims.
The gathering aimed to serve as a moment of remembrance for the victims of the Communist regime’s demographic policy. At its core are the women who died, the families who have kept their memory alive, and the need to publicly acknowledge the link between these tragedies and the state policy that made them possible.
For a long time, the deaths of these women were experienced as a private tragedy, accompanied by fear, silence and stigma. Their recognition as victims of the Communist regime remains incomplete. A national monument dedicated to them would provide a place for mourning and remembrance and would publicly acknowledge the regime’s responsibility for the lives lost. Sixty years after the Decree, the need for such a memorial deserves to be part of the public debate.
Schedule of Events
The following series of events was organized as part of the implementation of the National Strategy for Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Communist Repression in Romania. The two-day event brought together historians, medical experts, and representatives of civil society. The discussions addressed the context surrounding the adoption of the Decree, its economic and social consequences, its impact on women’s health, and the changes that have taken place since 1990.
Women’s memories and memorialization projects featured prominently in the program, through contributions from the Society for Feminist Analyses AnA Association and a segment dedicated to remembering the victims.
The program also addressed the experiences of abandoned and institutionalized children through the presentation of the “Map of Abandonment” project, the virtual reality experience offered by the Museum of Abandonment, and a presentation on international adoptions during the Communist regime. A screening of the film “Illustrated with Wildflowers”, directed by Andrei Blaier, was followed by discussion.
The event brought to the public sphere the question of how we understand our past: How do we make room, in the memory of Communism, for the women whose deaths have for too long remained only in the memory of their families.
About IICCMER
The Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile (IICCMER) is a government agency established in 2005 and operating under the coordination of the Prime Minister of Romania. Its primary role is to manage and conduct scholarly analysis of the totalitarian period and its consequences. Secondly, IICCMER supports the creation and implementation of educational tools designed to preserve memory, thereby helping to shape the context in which fundamental values and rights are understood by our post-totalitarian society. Last but not least, IICCMER is responsible for collecting, archiving, and publishing documents related to the memory of Romanian exile.
Original report in Romanian: https://www.iiccmer.ro/carusel-stiri/2026/60-de-ani-de-la-decretul-770-cine-le-mai-tine-minte-pe-femeile-care-au-murit/
Thousands of women in Romania have given birth alone, while the person they wanted by their side waited in the hallway
In one maternity ward, partners were allowed into the delivery room; in another, they weren’t even allowed in the ward; and some women ended up giving birth in shared rooms, with no privacy at all.
Situation of the many mothers breastfeeding
But things are changing: women will have the legal right to a support person during labor and delivery, thanks to a bill introduced by USR Senator Ruxandra Cibu Deaconu, which also strengthens patients’ rights to privacy and dignity. The support person can be a partner, a friend, a mother, or any other person chosen to be by their side during these moments.
Senator Ruxandra Cibu Deaconu
Senator Ruxandra Cibu Deaconu said: “The bill emerged from the debate on obstetric violence that we organized in Parliament, from the stories of women who went through childbirth alone, frightened, and without being asked anything. We started with their stories and, step by step, arrived at a bill passed by all parties in the committees.”
The legislative initiative was sparked by the testimonies of women who participated in a debate on obstetric violence. They described feeling frightened, vulnerable, and unsupported during labor and childbirth. Among the issues raised were a lack of privacy and the refusal of some maternity wards to allow a loved one to be present.
According to the provisions adopted, public and private hospitals will be required to take the necessary organizational and technical measures to protect patients’ privacy. These measures include adequate visual separation of the spaces where labor and delivery take place. The legislative initiative was proposed and sponsored by USR Senator Ruxandra Cibu Deaconu and aims to protect women’s dignity, privacy, and right to a private life during pregnancy, labor, childbirth, and until discharge.
In what situations may the presence of a support person be denied
The right to a support person is not limited to the moment of birth itself. A woman may request the presence of a trusted person as early as during labor, including when she is transferred between departments within the same medical facility. However, the law also provides for exceptions. According to the adopted text, a companion’s access may be restricted only when there are objective medical or epidemiological reasons related to the safety of the mother, the newborn, the medical staff, or other hospitalized patients. Consequently, the maternity ward will not be able to refuse the presence of a companion solely on the basis of its own administrative rules. Any restriction must be justified by objective reasons related to medical or epidemiological safety.
“From now on, every woman will be able to have the person of her choice by her side during childbirth, and no maternity ward will be able to refuse this request out of convenience or due to a lack of space. The bill now only needs to be signed into law,” added Senator Ruxandra Cibu Deaconu.
After being adopted by the Senate with an overwhelming majority of votes, the initiative received a unanimous recommendation for approval from the Chamber of Deputies’ Committee on Health and Family. Following the vote in the Chamber of Deputies, USR Senator Ruxandra Cibu Deaconu issued a statement emphasizing the importance of passing the bill. “No mother in Romania should ever have to give birth alone again. Today, something extraordinarily rare happened in this Parliament: all parties voted the same way. 262 votes in favor, none against,” she wrote on Facebook.
The bill was passed on Wednesday, October 14, by the Chamber of Deputies, as the decision-making body, and is set to be sent to the President for promulgation.
Translated by Daniela Draghici.