Sex and the Future of Russian Society

Author: Linda DeLaine
Website: RL Online
Department:
Page: 1   ( 3) pages

Summary: Abortion, HIV/AIDS and Russia's infant mortality rates are on the increase. At the same time, the nation's birthrate and population growth are dramatically decreasing with many children being adopted abroad.

The prevailing Cold War perception of the Soviet Union and Russia was that of a very conservative, restrained society. In school, we were led to believe that this was simply a society of dark clad folks, mechanically going about their predetermined daily routines. They were not associated with images of promiscuity of any kind. Sex and Russia are terms not typically used together. Today's reality is much different and tragic.

As a result of 'freedom,' sex related magazines, and other products, are sold openly and it's not unusual to see couples 'making out' in public. Ironically, a park bench often provides more privacy than a crowded apartment shared with several family members. Adultery and prostitution fails to shock many people, anymore. The latter increased with economic crisis. Prostitution is legal and many young girls line up, after dark, to make a living as a part of the oldest profession.

Russia's young people face the same peer and media pressures as youth in the West. However, their parents, most of whom grew up during the Soviet era, are very uncomfortable and often unable to talk to their teenagers about sex, disease, abortion and so on. As a result, the incidence of venereal disease has sky rocketed since the end of the Soviet era. Between 1990 and 1998, the number of reported syphilis cases rose 50 times. Currently, according the the World Health Organization, there are roughly 262 known syphilis cases per every 100,000 people. The European average is about 3 in 100,000.

The main culprit, regarding venereal disease, is lack of sex and safe sex education. The Russian Orthodox Church, which has considerable influence where the government is concerned, has vocally opposed sex education in Russia's schools. The Church, naturally, insists on abstinence, thus education about disease and abortion are not needed. The resulting lack of knowledge is staggering. The use of contraceptives and/or protection, such as condoms, is extremely low. Abortions, however are shockingly high. On the average, a young Russian woman has anywhere between three and eight abortions. Part of the reason is; birth control is available but expensive; abortions are free.

With the constant rise in abortions and cases of HIV/AIDS and STDs in Russia, the debate over sex education in the schools has boiled over. Some oppose it altogether; namely the Church and old Communists. Those who support it are divided. One position is to teach it but offer abstinence as the one and only option. Others think sex ed programs should emphasize waiting to have sex, but should also include information on birth control . The debate is very heated and the result is no sex ed at all.

One hope is the offering of sex education through private organizations such as the 50 regional centers of the Moscow based Russian Family Planning Association. This non-profit group receives funding from the Russian government as well as the International Planned Parenthood Federation based in London, England. They provide information and conduct workshops, but emphasize the need for young people to discuss sexual issues with their parents. Other outside organizations, such as the Care for Health Campaign, bring education to Russia as a healthy alternative to abortion.

The high abortion rate in Russia is really nothing new. The Soviet Union ranked high in the frequency of abortion. Estimates indicate that the average Soviet woman had roughly three abortions during her child bearing years. The only forms of protection were low quality condoms. Poor education was and is the prime culprit with no more than 5% of Russia's schools offering any form of sex education. Abortions among teenaged girls is increasing. Clinics treating adolescent girls (ages 14-17) average 10 to 15 abortions a day and a patient's parents do not have to be informed. Sadly, 25 percent of girls under the age of 15 who have had an abortion will, eventually, become sterile.

Lack of Sex Ed. & HIV in Russia

	Some Facts from the National Center for Health Statistics
	1995: Abortion rate for Russian women, ages 15-49, was 6.76 percent, vs. 1.77 percent in the U.S. Of every three Russian pregnancies, two will end in abortion. In the U.S., this number is 1 in 3.
	Risk factors, during pregnancy, are much greater in Russia. Anemia is found in at least 20 percent of pregnant Russian women, vs. 2 percent in the U.S. The good news is, gestational diabetes is substantially less.
	Death rates for children and teenagers are higher in Russia. Accidental death rate for children 1-14 is roughly the same as for all causes of death among U.S. children of the same age. Drowning is the cause of a majority of these deaths.
	Diphtheria (ages birth to 14 yrs.) rose considerably in the early 1990s, peaking in 1994. In 1995, it decreased by 11 percent and has continued downward since. Hepatitis is much higher in Russia than the U.S., however, it declined 50 percent between 1990 and 1995. Syphilis, in Russia, is 30 times higher than the U.S., but U.S. gonorrhea cases number three times more than found in Russia.

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