SOVIET RUSSIA: “It was more common to take sick days for an abortion than for a cold in those days”

A Reuters article gives some background and perspective on recent developments in Russia’s abortion law.

Russia has the highest abortion rate in the world: 1.3 million, or 73 per 100 births in 2009. This is the legacy of over half a century of communism. A gynecologist recounts that during soviet times “It was more common to take sick days for an abortion than for a cold in those days”. This legacy has made the government and the people at large think again about abortion.

According to Reuters, a new health law, which is all but enacted, would “cap abortions at 12 weeks, impose a waiting period of up to one week from initial consultations and require women over six weeks pregnant to see the embryo on ultrasound, hear its heartbeat and have counseling to determine how to proceed.”

The law is especially controversial because it has been strongly backed by the Russian Orthodox Church. Yelena Mizulina, chair of the family issues committee that fielded the law, told Reuters: “Our two main motives are the fact that Russia is dying out and our religious tradition. We cannot forget our faith.” She also told Reuters that “Despite the long Communist period, it [abortion] is seen as murder, as a violation of the ten commandments.”

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