Rússia ...

Today Russia’s streets are torn by rampant alcoholism, abortion, suicide, and drug addiction”the causes and consequences of a century of violence and dehumanization. A recent report suggested that half a million annual deaths were directly related to alcohol. Soviet Russia became the first country in the world to legalize abortion in 1920; by the end of the twentieth century, the annual number of abortions exceeded the number of live births. Russia’s suicide rate is perennially among the highest in the world. And according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, more than two million Russians are addicted to heroin, which has in turn led to the rapid spread of HIV. These factors have, of course, contributed substantially to the demographic crisis that Russia faces today: Since 1991, Russia’s population has decreased by roughly half a million people each year. However, all of these trends have begun to correct slightly in recent years, as demographer Mark Adomanis and others have noted.

This correction is largely due to the work of the Orthodox Church. While Russia might have looked to the West for some effective methods of curbing its social challenges, such as crisis pregnancy counseling centers and substance abuse programs, it has taken the initiative to address these issues on its own. Svetlana Medvedeva, wife of former President Dmitri Medvedev and an adult convert to Orthodox Christianity, continues to work in conjunction with the Russian Orthodox Church to promote pro-life and pro-family policies. This work met with success when, in 2011, Russia’s parliament passed a law restricting abortion to the first trimester. The parliament has taken similar steps in recent years to curb premature deaths due to alcoholism and smoking. The trends appear to be positive, though there is much work ahead.