RUSSIA: Russia's Sverdlovsk region is the focus of a struggle between anti-abortionists and women's choice campaigners

The town of Irbit in Russia's Sverdlovsk region has become a centre for the growing struggle in the country between groups campaigning for a woman's right to have an abortion and opponents supported by the Orthodox Church. With Russia's net population dropping dramatically both the government, the church and other civic institutions are anxious to take measures to stop this downward trend. The Orthodox church is one of the leading groups that has taken a stance on this controversy, and one which is unequivocally pro-life. "They do not want to use contraceptives because they believe contraceptives reduce pleasure. And for the sake of getting pleasure they do not use contraceptives and become pregnant. This is what the doctors say. To prevent this, these consultations should help bring them to common sense," said Father Alexei, a local Orthodox priest who holds consultations at the local abortion clinic Women who want an abortion must first attend a meeting with an Orthodox priest, and only after that will the priest sign a document allowing her to have the abortion. "Those who believe in [God] should go through this, but since I do not then I shouldn't have to," said Svetlana, a local woman who spoke to a priest before asking permission to have an abortion. "Without [Father Alexei's] signature it's not possible to have an abortion. We need Father's signature, otherwise they won't do it," Svetlana said. During the consultation with a priest, women are shown a film of an abortion and told that to have one is to commit a sin. Father Alexei and medical officials who support his work say that this is necessary to help boost the country's lagging birth rate. "We don't just perform many abortions, but too many of them. Out of 30 patients who come to this clinic, 20 to 25 come here for an abortion. This is not just a high number, it is a very high number. In addition, we have a group of women, a large group, who regularly have abortions every two to three months. Abortion is their contraception," obstetrician, Marina Dedenyova said. Medical officials are divided on this issue, while some point out the health and social problems caused by a very high abortion rate, others resent the interference of the Church. "We had an agreement that [consultations with church representatives] should be voluntary, and exclusively voluntary. We do not support [consultations] taking place at the clinic," said Vladislav Kovalenko, chief gynaecologist of the Sverdlovsk region. "The church has its own territories, and it solves its own affairs. So if a woman wants to consult or talk to a priest she can go to a church, she can get this consultation there," Kovalenko said. Abortions in Russia outpaced live births last year by more than 100,000. An estimated 10 million Russians of reproductive age are sterile because of botched abortions or poor health. About 700,000 abortions have been performed in Russia every year since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The largest country in the world is now home to only 142 million people. Whatever one might think, Father Alexei's efforts does convince some women to keep the child. "I have a small salary, its not enough to live on, so I went to the clinic to have an abortion. Then I talked to Father Alexei and he managed to change my mind. You know there is a saying "Where there is a will, there is a way", mother Yulia Borisova said. "At first I was embarrassed to go to the priest and to explain everything, that I wanted to get rid of it, but nevertheless, by all means one should do it, one should go to the priest and talk to him," Borisova said. For now, Ibrit's experiment with Orthodox priests at the maternity clinic is a local issue. But as Russia's population continues to drop rapidly, there is an increasing chance that such a programme will be implemented nationally.

ITN Source | December 10, 2006

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