Russia’s population will skyrocket to 166 million if abortions are banned – Patriarch

If Russia gives up on abortions, its population will grow to 156 million by 2029 and to 166 million by 2039, according to calculations by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill.

“If we want to increase the real population in Russia, we must remove the problem of abortions in its current scale,” the Patriarch said.

Demographic problems won’t be solely solved through money bonuses given to families with kids, known as “maternity capital” in Russia, he warned.

The Russian population stood at almost 147 million last year, according to state statistics agency Rosstat. However, it was the first time in a decade that it decreased by 87,000.

As for abortions, there were 567,000 such operations performed last year, according to the ombudsman for children’s rights, Anna Kuznetsova.

Earlier this year, Kirill blasted women who decided to have an abortion after learning of foetal abnormalities, saying that “such practices of killing those with disabilities were only employed in Nazi Germany.”

In recent years, the Russian Orthodox Church has been actively pushing for a ban on free abortions in the country, insisting that state funds shouldn’t be used to “kill life.”

The initiative gained some public support, and backing from a number of MPs, but never became a law. But Russian doctors are now legally allowed to refuse to perform an abortion if it violates their religious beliefs.

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