October 22, 2024

The Patriarch's Abortion Prevention


The Patriarch's Abortion Prevention
A pregnant woman standing in the shadows of a window. The Russian Life file.

Pregnant women in 16 regions across Russia will receive letters from Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, to dissuade them from getting an abortion. The initiative comes as these regions introduce legislation to crack down on women's reproductive rights, in partnership with the Church. 

Reproductive rights have a hot and cold relationship with the Russian state. In 1920, the Soviet Union legalized abortion. In 1936, pregnancy terminations were banned to increase the birth rate in the USSR. However, underground procedures left many women infertile, leading to abortion being legalized again in 1955. After the Soviet Union's collapse, a 1993 law allowed all women to decide on motherhood independently.

In the 2010s, the Russian Orthodox Church began campaigning to ban abortions nationwide. At first, legislation banning abortions was rejected. But, since 2023, politicians have begun introducing legislation to restrict pregnancy terminations. Private clinics in Kursk, Liptesk, and the illegally annexed Crimea have already refused to perform abortions. In the Tver region, pregnant women were given letters from the Orthodox Metropolitan Ambrose about "the most difficult choice: to keep or kill your baby."

The letters from Patriarch Kirill are part of the program "Zdravstvuy Mama!" (Hello Mom), designed by Natalia Moskovitina. The letters will be handed over with "help binders" upon a pregnant woman's first appointment at a women's clinic. The folders include a letter from the head of the region and the head of the local metropolitanate. They also contain a booklet with resources from the state, the Russian Orthodox Church, businesses, and non-profits. Employees at prenatal care clinics must also show a plastic fetus and say, "You can see that it is already a person." 

Moskovitina told RIA Novosti that the Patriarch's letter would bless the pregnant woman and the embryo. Kirill's text says, "I hope that soon, with the will and effort of his relatives, the child will be reunited with Christ in the Sacrament of Baptism and receive the opportunity to grow spiritually in the grace of God." Moskovitina herself introduced legislation to ban "persuading" a woman from getting an abortion. The initiative has been passed in ten Russian regions.

The Patriarch's letter and "help binders" will be sent to women in Karelia, Mordovia, Udmurtia, Komi, Kamchatka, Zabaikalsky Krai, Arkhangelsk, Kemerovo, Tambov, Magadan, Samara, Tver, Novgorod, Pensa, and in Moscow's St. Alexey Church Hospital.

You Might Also Like

  • February 10, 2024

"I Breathed a Sigh of Relief"

The war has increased cases of domestic abuse, yet in one instance things went in an entirely different direction.
Returning Home to Kill
  • April 29, 2024

Returning Home to Kill

More than 100 persons have been killed by returning Russian soldiers since the beginning of Russia's War on Ukraine.
Violence Comes Home, Too
  • April 22, 2023

Violence Comes Home, Too

A man from Nizhny Novgorod fought in Ukraine. When he returned to Russia, he killed his wife.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955