Europe's youth: are they all alike?

PIP: Adolescents in Europe are viewed in terms of similarities and differences. As adolescents, they all go through emotional and physical changes, suffer identity crises, fight for independence and recognition as adults, and are hurt by double standards. Accidents, suicide, and other causes contribute 50% to teenage death, but as much as 70% in Switzerland and Austria. Compared with less developed countries, the European youth population, 10-24 years, is lower and comprises 20% of the total population. The world population is 30% young adolescent and adults. Only 2% may die before the age of 20. Teenage birth rates vary from 3% in Europe to 2% in Western and Northern Europe and 5% in Eastern Europe with 8% in Bulgaria. 5% of European girls marry between 15-19; Northern and Western European girls 2%, Southern Europe 7%, and Eastern Europe 10%. 85% of teenagers are enrolled in secondary schools (83% men and 86% women), whereas developing countries enroll only 35-45%. Western Europe has enrollments of 92% for males and 83% for females, while Eastern Europe is low at 69% for males and 74% for females. Labor force participation is 45% for males and 36% for females 15-19 years. Northern Europeans employ 54% of males and 47% of females. Eastern Europeans employ only 39-40%, Western Europe 40%, and Southern Europe 37%. Eastern European youth are less well off based on education, employment, teenage pregnancy, and marriage. Life styles and sexuality- related problems vary between countries, although all countries confront the health problems of the young --- smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, and unprotected sex with unwanted pregnancies, STDs, and HIV/AIDS. Nordic smokers, particularly girls, show smoking declines. A 17 year old in Denmark comfortably admits taking the pill while her counterpart in Italy suffers the consequences of illegal abortion. Western Europe provides a healthy environment of exercise, fitness, and good nutrition while Eastern Europe does not.^ieng

[The Greek Orthodox Church and position regarding birth control]. / L'eglise chretienne orthodoxe et la question de la regulation de la fertilite.

PIP: The Christian Orthodox Church has 100-150 million baptized members worldwide. Its official position on fertility regulation is little known among nontheologians. The Christian Orthodox Church is resolutely opposed to all attempts to permit induced abortion, and has been since its earliest history. In the 4th century the aborting woman was considered in the same category as a murderer, and the position was reiterated through the centuries in the canons of the Church. However, the common practice of Church members differed greatly from the official position. During the Roman period and the 1st years of the Christian era, abortion and the exposure of newborns were very common. Many of the earlier arguments in favor of abortion that were countered by the Church are still offered. The liberalization of abortion legislation in the US was opposed by American Christian Orthodox Church members. The Church's position on contraception is less well known than its stand on abortion. Several official publications have condemned family planning, regarding it as a form of prostitution within the family and as a sin. The official position of the Greek Orthodox Church was set forth in an encyclical written in 1937, which recommended abstinence as the only legal method of avoiding conception. The position of the Christian Orthodox Church on abortion and contraception is fundamentally identical to that of the Roman Catholic Church. Because the position of the Christian Orthodox Church on birth control, which has been fixed for centuries, has not been officially debated and has not been communicated to the members, it has not fully guided daily life. One might suppose that members of the Christian Orthodox Church are freer of church control of their fertility behavior than are Catholics.^ieng

[Psychological aspects of sterilization]. / Psiholoski aspekti sterilizacije.

Data from the literature are presented on the psychological and psychiatric aspects of the sterilization of men and women in developed and developing countries. Emphasis is laid on the methodological shortcomings of the studies carried so far and the need for further investigations and objective assessments of the psychological and psychiatric consequences of sterilization.