Mothers-to-be in 16 Russian regions are to get personalized letters from the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, as part of a public initiative, the project’s head Natalya Moskvitina told RIA Novosti on Saturday.
The missive from the patriarch is aimed at offering consolation and support as well as alleviating some fears a woman might have before childbirth, RIA reported, citing an example of a letter it had obtained. “Remember, you are not alone – there are people around you that are ready to support you, pay attention to you and [show] sympathy,” the letter reads, according to the news agency.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church was also giving his blessings to mothers-to-be and wished them “good health, inner peace and … mercy from Jesus Christ.” The letters are a part of the “Hello, Mommy!” campaign aimed at providing assistance to pregnant women and reducing the number of abortions in Russia.
Women coming to state maternity welfare centers get the so-called “help folder” containing brochures informing them about various forms of assistance they can get from the public authorities, local businesses and non-governmental organizations. Letters from the patriarch are to become a part of this “folder.”
According to Moskvitina, the project was successfully tested in the Russian Republic of Mordovia in the Volga Federal District back in 2022. “The number of abortions dropped by 42% over a year, during which the project was active,” she said. After that, the initiative received the backing of the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin as well the Russian Orthodox Church, the woman added.
The geography of the territories that have joined the project covers various parts of Russia, including the Arkhangelsk Region in the north, Tver Region in central Russia, Novgorod Region in the northwest, Kemerovo Region in Siberia and Kamchatka Region in the Far East.
The Russian Orthodox Church has been arguing against abortions for quite some time. In December 2023, it released a statement equaling abortion to murder. “It is unacceptable to proclaim ‘a right to abortion’, which means ‘a right to murder’,” the church’s governing body, the Holy Synod, said at that time.
Earlier, Patriarch Kirill described abortion as a “national disaster” that destroys “the future of our society.” Abortions are legal in Russia, and the practice is covered by the national health insurance system. A pregnancy can be terminated up to 12 weeks into development at the woman’s request, and up to 22 weeks for social reasons such as being the result of rape, or in the case of death or disability of the husband. A pregnancy can be legally terminated at any stage on medical ground.