According to Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova, the proportion of Russian women who initially planned to terminate their pregnancy but ultimately decided to keep the child has increased to 25%. An analysis of regional data conducted by Kommersant confirms this trend: 18% of women in Primorsky Krai and Zabaykalsky Krai chose not to have an abortion, while in Kurgan Oblast, the figure reached 23%. In some regions, special prayer services are even being held against abortions, and laws are being passed to fine those who attempt to persuade women to terminate a pregnancy.
The share of Russian women who refused to terminate their pregnancy (among all who sought this service in medical organizations) rose to nearly 25% by the end of 2024. This data was reported by Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova during a meeting of the Communist Party faction in the State Duma. «We still have work to do in this area. Nevertheless, thanks to this, nearly 42,000 births were saved in 2024. This is quite a good indicator,» said Ms. Golikova.
A trend of decreasing abortion numbers has been observed for many years. According to Rosstat data, 553,000 pregnancy terminations were registered in 2020, 506,000 in 2022, and 467,500 in 2023. Data for 2024 is not yet available.
In late 2024, President Vladimir Putin stated during a live broadcast that governors should «go to sleep and wake up thinking about the issue of demographics.» Since then, regions have adopted numerous diverse initiatives aimed at reducing the number of abortions. Some regions have utilized the Health Ministry`s strategies, including motivational questionnaires for women and «psycho-social» counseling.
Kommersant analyzed and studied the independent initiatives introduced by specific regions.
For example, in Udmurtia, there are about 20 anti-abortion counseling centers, some established with the support of the Orthodox Church and the Muftiate. Metropolitan Viktorion of Izhevsk and Udmurtia reported the opening of prayer rooms in two maternity hospitals at the end of 2024, as well as the launch of a program for the «Traditional upbringing of girls in grades 5-9,» which four schools have already joined.
Healthcare facilities in Kurgan Oblast employ specialists who help patients draft official complaints if a medical organization suggested terminating the pregnancy without medical indications. Prayer services for expectant mothers for a safe pregnancy and childbirth are also conducted. Special «anti-abortion» prayer services are also practiced (the first was held on April 12), involving doctors and even men who had persuaded women to terminate pregnancies.
The Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg adopted a law «On the prohibition of inducing artificial pregnancy termination» in early June: those who persuaded a woman to have an abortion are subject to liability. Fines for individuals range from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles, and for officials, from 10,000 to 20,000 rubles. Similar laws have been passed in Kurgan, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, Tambov, Oryol, and other regions. Furthermore, over 500 private clinics across the country have stopped offering abortion services by relinquishing their licenses.
Kommersant requested data on the effectiveness of measures aimed at reducing the number of abortions.
The Ministry of Health of Khabarovsk Krai informed Kommersant that from January to May 2025, specialists at medical-social assistance offices counseled 776 women (compared to 920 for all of 2024), and 152, or 19% (up from 16% in 2024), decided to continue their pregnancy. In Primorsky Krai, 18% of those seeking services decided against abortion. Zabaykalsky authorities claim that between 2020 and 2024, the share of women choosing to keep their pregnancy increased from 6.7% to 18%. In Kurgan Oblast, this figure rose from 11.6% to 23% between 2018 and 2024.
Ministry of Health Expanded List of Possible Complications
The Ministry of Health has expanded the list of potential complications that women considering pregnancy termination are warned about.
Other regions, upon Kommersant`s request, provided only absolute figures. For example, in Buryatia, according to the republican Ministry of Health, 1,880 abortions were registered in 2021, compared to 1,230 in 2024. According to Tatyana Savinova, the Minister of Health for Sverdlovsk Oblast, 15,000 women terminated pregnancies in 2019-2020, while in 2024, the number was around 10,000.
The increasing number of women foregoing abortions is a result of both state support and a change in the mindset of Russian women, says Victoria Shustova, a gynecologist and reproductive specialist. She notes that the support system for women making this decision has strengthened in recent years: «A woman is not left alone with her fear or confusion – and this plays a huge role in the decision-making process.» Lyubov Erofeeva, an obstetrician-gynecologist and WHO expert, does not rule out that the government`s data might be inaccurate, as according to international studies, only 5–8% of 100 women might change their mind about having an abortion. «Usually, a woman, after engaging in sexual contact with a man, already knows in advance how she will act in case of pregnancy,» the expert explains. «She might indeed promise the psychologist-consultant to change her mind, but most likely, she will just get an abortion elsewhere later.» Ms. Erofeeva believes one can confidently speak about a quarter of women giving up abortions only when the number of live births increases by the same amount.
