Head of Russian Orthodox Church urges nationwide ban on abortion coercion

According to Radio Svoboda, Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has called for a nationwide ban on abortion coercion. 

Russia has historically reported disturbingly high numbers of abortions. In 1990, for example, the nation aborted over four million of its children. Those numbers have declined significantly over the past few decades; however, the Russian population continues to shrink.

Russia’s fertility rate has been in decline for most of the last decade, stalling out at 1.42 children per woman of reproductive age as of 2022. It has been significantly below the rate required for the population to replace itself, which is 2.1 children per woman of reproductive age, for decades.

“Russia really does have a demographic problem,” Patriarch Kirill said (translated). “It’s a vast country, but there are not enough people…. We really need more people, this is obvious, everyone admits it,” he added.

He suggested that “the population can be increased just like a magic wand,” adding, “if you learn to dissuade women from [obtaining] abortion, the statistics will immediately go up.”

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Patriarch Kirill also stated, “Unfortunately, the number of abortions in the country remains as high as before. Thank God, there are some legislative initiatives designed to cut down the number of abortions. For example, Mordovia passed a law banning inducement to abortion not that long ago. I hope that this initiative will be supported in other regions and federally…”

The Mordovian legislation Patriarch Kirill referenced prohibits abortion coercion in the form of “persuasion, proposals, bribery, deception, and making other demands.” An explanatory note attached to the legislation reads:

The cult of consumptionism, aggressive demands for “self-realisation”, mockery of family values, motherhood, a woman’s desire to bear and raise children in conjunction with the cult of sex push[] the attitudes to abortion on girls and women as a necessary option for a modern person.

For men, abortion also becomes an opportunity not to bear natural responsibilities for their actions, not to treat relationships with women he engages in seriously, and have somewhat of a retreat option.

Violations of the Mordovian law are subject to fines of between 5,000 and 10,000 rubles (approximately $55-$109) for Russian citizens, 25,000-50,000 rubles (approximately $273-$546) for officials, and 100,000-200,000 rubles (approximately $1,093-$2,185) for legal entities. Foreigners can be charged up to double the fine for Russian citizens and can be expelled from the country. 

Similar legislation has been passed in the Tver region, and has been proposed in the Tambov region.

In 2016, Patriarch Kirill called for total protections for preborn children in Russia. The Russian Orthodox Church has always opposed abortion, teaching that it is a form of murder and a serious sin.