After decades of record abortions, post-abortion healing programs are thriving in Russia

Post-abortion healing retreats like Rachel's Vineyard have begun to flourish in Russia and Kazakhstan after decades of heavily-promoted abortion in the countries.

Key Takeaways:

• Russia legalized abortion in 1920, when it was still part of the Soviet Union.

• Over the 70 years of the Soviet Union's existence, over 200 million abortions took place.

• Abortion remains extremely common in Russia.

• Countless women are suffering after having had abortions, and post-abortion retreats can help offer them healing.

The Backstory:

Soviet Russia legalized abortion in 1920 — the first country in the world to do so. It was widely promoted by the government, contributing to a heavily pro-abortion culture. Under 70 years of Soviet rule, over 260 million abortions were committed.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, abortion remains extremely common in Russia, though it has fallen from recent decades.

Abortion rates have been falling in recent years, to an estimated 13.1 abortions per 1,000 women in 2026, much to the consternation of pro-abortion groups.

Culturally, the abortion rate in Russia has been high because of its use as a method of birth control and family planning.

The Details:

Vatican News reported that post-abortion healing retreats like Rachel's Vineyard are now thriving in Russia. Psychologist Irina Maltseva explained that the prominence of abortion has created a country-wide cultural trauma:

In the Soviet era, abortion was considered a routine procedure. It has a destructive impact on the entire family, leading to psychological issues, emotional detachment, and even violence. That is why I believe that today, across the post-Soviet world, nearly every person is affected — directly or indirectly — by the consequences of post-abortion trauma.

Consequently, post-abortion retreats have been growing since the 2000s, with Maltseva having attended one herself in 2018.

“I didn’t have the money to participate,” she said. “When I called the vicar and explained my situation, he said: ‘Promise me that you will dedicate yourself to protecting life.’ And I promised.”

There, she met Sister Stella Witter, who helped Maltseva build a network of post-abortion retreats, with six teams holding them across Russia and Kazakhstan.

"Monasteries and parish houses became the venues for 'Rachel’s Vineyard' in these countries," Sr. Stella said. "This solved many logistical issues. The sisters know the parishioners and their life stories well. They invite people to the retreats and provide spiritual support."

Viktoria Ilyinskaya, who now volunteers at the retreat, was also an attendee, and said it opened her eyes to how many people need healing.

"I came to the Vineyard with my own pain, my own abortions," she said. "There were a priest and sisters in my group. I rebelled: why are they here? It’s not like they’ve had abortions. But as I lived through my pain alongside everyone else and saw the tears of others, I realized how deeply we all need healing."

The groups have also begun other pro-life activities, including spiritually adopting preborn children, Lenten Way of the Cross prayers for the preborn, and all-night vigils held on the anniversary of the legalization of abortion in Russia.

Maltseva added:

"For many, these forms of prayer become the tears they are finally allowed to shed. After an abortion, a silence often settles over a family. I still remember a man who approached me during a Vineyard retreat and said, 'I feel such pain. My heart is about to burst. What is happening to me?' I told him: 'This is the pain for the children lost to abortion, a pain you never permitted yourself to feel.'

He was attending the retreat with his wife. On the third day, for the first time during the spiritual exercises, he sat beside her and held her hand. They wept together. Those tears transformed their lives."

The Bottom Line:

Post-abortion trauma and regret are real, and affect post-abortive men and women. Organizations like Rachel’s Vineyard and Deeper Still can guide these people down a path towards healing and hope.

America should take seriously the damage that abortion causes, and learn a lesson from the post-abortion grief of Russian men and women.