UN reports showed that Bulgaria ranked in the leading places for teenage pregnancy.

Marta Dyavolova, programme director of the UN representation in Bulgaria said that abortion was a traditional method of birth control in Bulgaria.

Thus, adults were very tolerant towards the idea of abortion and these adjustments were transferred on the young people, she said as quoted by Focus news agency.

On average, girls in Bulgaria have their first sexual encounter between the ages of 15 to 17.

Often, women have a couple of abortions before they decide to give birth, Dyavolova said.

Nikola Vassilev, national consultant on midwifery and gynaecology said that a total of 166 girls under 16 had abortions in 2006.


Nearly 52 of abortions in Bulgaria were performed on women aged between 20 and 29, he said.

Another 34.9 per cent of the abortions were performed on women between 30 and 39.

The number of abortions in Bulgaria in 2006 was 37 272. In 1980 the number was 156 056, in 1990, 144 644 and in 2000, 61 378.