In recent days, a number of public and religious figures of Russia again actively talked about the need for legislative prohibition of abortion in the country. September 27, TASS reported that the prohibition of abortion in Russia was organized by the Commissioner on child rights under the President of the Russian Federation Anna Kuznetsova. According to child rights activist, the entire civilized world has long opposed abortion, so she supports that position, however, the prohibition of abortion, of course, requires a systematic approach.
Recall that Anna Kuznetsova has occupied the position of Commissioner for the rights of the child under the President of Russia recently. 9 Sep 2016, she was appointed to this position to replace retired Paul Astakhov. Until the appointment of Anna Kuznetsova were almost not known outside a narrow circle of clergymen and public figures. A psychologist by training, Anna Kuznetsova still a young woman. She was born in 1982 and lived in Penza, has six children. Husband of Anna Kuznetsova, Alexey Kuznetsov, the priest of the Church of the Resurrection in the village of Uvarovo Issinsky district of the Kuznetsk diocese. In 2014, Anna joined the popular Front and this time, she began her serious career move.
Apparently, the figure of the charismatic mother of six children and an Orthodox Christian psychologist has attracted influential patrons in the presidential administration. Anna Kuznetsova in 2015, the head of the Association of family protection at the Public chamber of the Russian Federation. The activities in this post have been successful, especially as the mother of six children by their personal example showed the importance of family and childbearing for modern Russian women. In September 2016, Kuznetsova was appointed to the position of Commissioner for children’s rights under the President of the country. Earlier this position was occupied by lawyer Pavel Astakhov — person media, a well-known attorney and popular television personality. It would seem that awareness in society Anna Kuznetsova he obviously loses, but the country’s leadership has long argued that the role of the Commissioner for the rights of the child best suited woman. Some analysts did not rule out that Astakhov can change any woman from the political old — timers Elena or Ella Pamfilova, however, the President chose to nominate a little-known but active and responsible Anna Kuznetsova from Penza.
With regard to initiatives to ban abortion, Anna Kuznetsova has in fact returned to the topic, which has long been actively discussed in the Russian society. And it happened in parallel to new references about the need to ban abortion on the part of some hierarchs of the traditional religions of Russia. So, on September 27 the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill signed an appeal on the complete prohibition of abortions in Russia. In fact, as explained to journalists the press-Secretary of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, about the total banning of abortion are, of course, can not, and the high priest said about the withdrawal of abortion from the compulsory health insurance system. Then on September 27 the idea of banning abortions was supported by the Supreme mufti of the Muslims of Russia Talgat Tadzhuddin. According to the mufti, in Islam, abortion is allowed only in case of threat to life and health of women. Chief Rabbi Berl Lazar also said that Russia had an unacceptable situation with abortion, but noted that only one of the existing prohibitions will not solve the problem.
At the time that Russia was the first country in the world with legalized abortion. In 1920, the RSFSR adopted a decree permitting abortion at the simple request of the woman. At the same time emphasized the right to abortion under the health and social status. Health the right to abortion was granted to women suffering from syphilis, acute inflammation of the kidneys, heart disease, tuberculosis, the second and third stages, mentally ill women and women who breastfeed babies up to nine months. Social reasons for abortion were recognized as the loneliness of the mother, material poverty, large families, the need for constant travelling, lack of living space, public employment, rape, crisis in family relations, the conception in a state of alcoholic intoxication, and some other reasons.
However, freedom of abortion was held in the Soviet state for long. After only four years after the adoption of the decree a special circular of the people’s Commissariat of health, which was imposed some limitations on abortion. For example, women now had to grant special permission for the abortion, which was based on documents about the disease, the amount of salary or other payments on the marital status. In 1936 abortion in the Soviet Union was banned. They were allowed only after Stalin’s death — in 1955. And in “safe” the sixties saw a surge in abortions. So, in the middle of 1960-ies was the largest number of abortions in Soviet history — the 5.6 million abortions a year. It is noteworthy that the stable conditions of life in Soviet society, including a guaranteed job, any accommodation, however, was not a serious obstacle for those wishing to have an abortion. In contrast, the number of abortions remained extremely high all postsovetskii period of Russian history. Largely, this was due to shortages of contraceptives and inadequate knowledge on contraception. It is significant that in the early 1990-ies decreased as the number of abortions and the birth rate.
In modern Russia also remains very high by global standards, the number of abortions. Abortion met criticism from two sides — from both the religious circles and supporters of the “Pro-life”, i.e. the preservation of life to the embryo, and from the more pragmatic-minded patriots who are concerned about the worsening of the demographic situation in the country. Despite the fact that since 2012 there has been a gradual decline in the number of abortions, it is still very large. Every year in the Russian Federation committed more than a million abortions. A reduction in the number of abortions among young people, professionals associated with the popularization of diverse contraception. The majority of abortions committed couples, usually forced by circumstances. What can I say, living conditions in the country are far from perfect and most couples can not be solved on the birth of a third or fourth child. Among the main constraints to the birth of the children of older couples are generally considerations of a material character is high enough level of wages, absence of own housing and overcrowded housing conditions among young couples unwillingness to let his own career or education, the fear of losing the freedom that gives life without children. At the same time, daring to abortion, young women risk their own health, including the ability to have children in future and, of course, effects on the reproductive activity of the Russian population.
Opinions about abortion in the Russian society split almost in half. On one flank — fervent opponents of abortion, the other with not less resolute opponents of the abortion ban. And if the first talk about humanity in relation to the unborn child, about the need to increase the birth rate, for the second much more important are economic and social interests of mothers, their individual freedom to dispose of his body. And those and others bring many arguments in support of his innocence. But the state, in the end, may still be inclined to support the first point of view. At least abortion can be deleted from the list of compulsory medical insurance. This means that women seeking an abortion will have to pay for it from their own funds. Going to consider the consequences of such innovations.
Of course, the “rich and famous” this innovation will not change. They will always be able to pay for the abortion, and even to fly to another country for it if Russia abortions are banned completely. But, on the other hand, they have a better and with contraception, the health of they follow and often do not allow unwanted pregnancies. The middle layer companies will also be able to pay for the abortion in private clinics, even if they have to resort to borrowing or lending funds. In fact, right now, regardless of the presence of abortion in the list of services of obligatory medical insurance, the majority of women still prefers to have abortions for the money. It turns out that the exclusion of abortion from the compulsory health insurance system will hit primarily the poorest sections of Russian women. Those who have no money even to pay the doctor for the procedure, so they resorted to it for free. At the same time, they cannot be called responsible, if they made an accidental and unwanted pregnancy. Of course, refusing an abortion, some of them can be a good mother, but someone not. It is not excluded that there would be cases of self-attempts at abortion, as well as flipping and killing newborn children.
The complexity of the situation lies in the fact that killing the fetus in the womb is really inhumane, contrary to human nature. Killing an unborn child is terrible in itself. But you have to be aware that the prohibition of abortion, most likely, will not help improve fertility, but can lead to all sorts of illegal actions against already born children and harms women’s health during self-attempts at abortion. The solution to the problem of abortion is really very important for modern Russia, but to follow only by a restraining methods, it means trying to deal with the consequence regardless of the cause.
First, in order to practice the injunction, first you need to create social conditions that enable families and single parents fully provide at least the basic needs of their children, not only food and shelter but also clothing, toys, school supplies, summer vacation, extra-curricular and pre-school classes, and so on. It is premature to say that social support of family in Russia is at a high level. A great help for families as we have previously mentioned, was the introduction of the parent capital, provided as incentives for those families where the second child was born. However, for the birth of the third child, no significant payments have already not supposed to. Remain small the size of children’s allowances state maternity benefits. In many cities there are problems with the device of children in preschool educational institutions. Finally, we should not forget that economic conditions for many Russian families with children very sad. The vast majority of large families in the province are experiencing serious difficulties associated with the inability to provide good material conditions for the lives of their children.
Second, the very economic system existing now in Russia and in most developed countries of the world, is not conducive to the growth of the birth rate. The main values for people in modern world are becoming material prosperity and domestic comfort, professional and creative self-realization, self-knowledge and self-improvement. The birth of a large number of children for people of average and low income is a barrier to material well-being, and even of domestic comfort. In addition, not all modern women do want to have children, believing that the childbirth will affect their feminine attractiveness, impact on health, will take free time, will make the dependent spouse. In order to really increased fertility and conscious rejection of abortion, it is necessary to change psychology of people. But is this possible in the modern world? Is it possible to turn the course of history, including what is happening in the world of socio-cultural transformations?
Finally, even in the case of the ban on abortion must leave at least two of the possibility of abortion for medical and for social reasons. In principle, this decision will be repeated early Soviet policy on abortion. A woman who came for an abortion, will have to confirm the availability of medical and social obstacles to the child’s birth. No one has the moral right to force to give birth from a drunk rapists, or deliberate risk to life of the mother, or in the absence of shelter or source of livelihood. The last point, by the way, can be changed if the state will assume the obligation to provide mothers with housing and subsistence allowance, but in modern conditions is almost impossible.
Speaking specifically about the situation in Russia and legislative ban of abortion at the country’s existing high levels of corruption and the willingness of its citizens to make money in any way, will lead to the appearance and major expansion of toll or shadow of the services in this area. Even the simple exclusion of abortion from the list of compulsory health insurance will lead to an increase in revenues of obstetricians and gynecologists, which is not a disaster. That this innovation has not led to growth of corruption and the informal health sector, the government must also ensure — and this means the need for additional resources to monitor the activity of medical institutions.
Thus, if Russia really will be a ban on abortion in the form of exclusion of this service from the list of compulsory medical insurance, the state will have to take very serious steps in the field of social and health policy. Without the introduction of additional measures of social support for birth mothers, families, single parents, the prohibition of abortion will not bring the desired results and will only lead to negative consequences for the Russian society. So before going for such a responsible step, the government needs to prepare to implement appropriate soil, to create conditions, to provide informational and ideological support.
Author: Ilya Polonsky
