This fact sheet explores attitudes in Sweden toward sexuality and childbirth from a historical perspective. After describing the strict social control over abortion and contraception in place 100 years ago, and the gradual easing of those controls in response to the low birth rate, the paper goes on to discuss the 1974 Abortion Act, which…

Describes efforts to address the problem of teenage pregnancy in Sweden, which has a much lower adolescent fertility rate than the United States. Discusses compulsory sex education; school gynecological clinics and youth centers; the easy availability of the pill and condoms; and cultural and attitudinal differences regarding abortion and…