Ever wonder why Greece's birth rate is so low? Why a country with such enormous historical and cultural significance is slowly facing extinction? Well...a book written by Alexandra Halkias (a lecturer in the Dept. of Sociology at Panteion University in Athens) may shed some light on the situation. Titled "Empty Cradle of Democracy: Sex, Abortion, and Nationalism in Modern Greece", the book offers some insight into the national crisis of low birth rates and the correlation of widespread abortions.

 

A friend told us about the book and it is definitely a worthwhile read. It explores both modern and historical Greek societal views on the subject. For her research on the book, the author interviewed 120 women who had proior abortions and the findings were quite interesting. Most Greek women found birth control methods too invasive and prefer abortion as a more "natural" way of prevention, despite Greek Orthodox beliefs that abortion is murder.  

 

DF: Although written in 2004, Halkias' provocative book is relavent today.

 

 

 

Or, maybe we just ran out of love...