At the same time that the demography summit was wrapping up in Moscow and preparing its final declaration,  lawmakers in the lower house of the Russian Parliament were voting on a bill that would require 10% of all of the space used in ads for abortion clinics and services to “carry a list of possible negative consequences for women, including infertility.”  The bill would also restrict advertisers (mostly operating in newspapers and classified sections) from saying that abortions are “safe”.

The bill had its third reading last Friday (Moscow time) and was passed by the State Duma deputies. It is expected that the bill will pass the upper house and be signed into law by Russia’s President, Dmitry Medvedev, without any further issues. (Interestingly, Medvedev’s wife, Svetlana is a strong advocate of the pro-life movement in Russia, so perhaps that should help to make the President’s mind up on whether or not to sign this bill!)

Deputy Viktor Zvagelsky, a United Russia member of the Duma’s Economic Policy and Entrepreneurship Committee, stated that the current ads:

"'…make young girls believe that they won’t have any problems interrupting a pregnancy.'

He said that the bill was drawn up because 'the situation with abortions in Russia was depressing.'"

The sheer number of abortions in Russia is certainly startling.  In 2007 there were 1.5 million abortions, nearly as many as the number of life births that year (!) according to the Duma’s web site.  In 2008 according to RIA Novosti there were 1.2 million abortions and Russia had by far and away the most number of abortions per head of population in Europe. (87 per 10,000 people, Romania was second with 59, and Britain was third with 35 per 10,000 people).  The law currently allows an abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy for any reason and for a serious social reason up until 22 weeks into a pregnancy.

Apparently the debate around this bill drew heavily on Russia’s terrible demographic figures rather than any moral issue with aboriton itself.  Between 1992 and 2008 the Russian population shrunk by 12 million people and even the UN (while predicting huge increases for the world as a whole) has predicted that the population of Russia will shrink to 116 million people in 2050.  With these numbers in mind, doing something to lower Russia’s abortion rate is seen as one way to help reverse Russia’s population decline.  

While members of Russia’s pro-life movement, including the leader of the non-government organisation, For Life and Defense of Family Values, Father Maxim Obukhov,  see their “final goal” as “a full ban of abortions”, this limited step is aimed at those advertisements that "play an important part in legitimizing abortion".  This limited restriction is something that would be unthinkable in many western countries. In New Zealand girls who are legally minors do not have to inform their parents (let alone get their consent!) that they have had or are seeking an abortion. It is a “right” that should not be limited in any way. (New Zealand does not have abortion on demand, although the evidence suggests that that is practically what happens here.)  Discussing abortion or presenting the other side of the argument is seen as an attack on those “rights”.  So even to consider passing a law that requires abortion providers to give their patients the full facts on the procedure, a common enough occurrence when it comes to other medical procedures, is a big step. I wonder if bad demographic news in other countries with low birth rates will also force a reconsideration of the view that abortion rights are sacrosanct elsewhere in the future…

 

 

 

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