Competing Moralities: A Social History of Abortion in Russia Open Access

Abstract

In 2017, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESI) determined that the rate of unsafe abortions is four times higher in countries with restrictive policies limiting access to abortion. Consequently, the maternal mortality rate (MMR) in countries with more restrictive policies is three times higher. This correlation is not new. Historical abortion policies and their MMRs provide countless examples of the dangers in restricting abortion. Having identified this correlation, the Soviet Union became the first country in the world to legalize abortion in 1920. The medical procedure has maintained a role in Russian society, serving as the main source of family planning and birth control for the last century. This has culminated in consistently high abortion rates. With the ideological shift that came as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, a religious fervor has birthed an anti-abortion movement over the past two decades, similar to that of the American pro-life movement. Strengthening this widespread force is significant support within the government, which under President Vladimir Putin, has become increasingly conservative. Restrictions to abortion access implemented under the current leader threaten the health and safety of women throughout the country. In order to fully understand this profound shift in Russian culture, this paper seeks to trace the competing moralities that have framed abortion for over a century to better understand the country’s current restrictive state.

 

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................1

COMPETING MORAL FRAMEWORKS...............................................................2

IMPERIAL RUSSIA: ON RELIGION AND ABORTION..............................................3

ABORTION: 1921-1936...............................................................................6

CONCURRENT WORLD EVENTS: 1917-1936..................................................10

1936-1955: ABORTION BAN......................................................................12

ABORTION: 1955-1991..............................................................................17

ABORTION: 1990-2000..............................................................................22

RESURGENCE OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH.....................................25

THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION: 2000-2017.........................................................29

CONCLUSION............................................................................................34

REFERENCES.............................................................................................36

About this Master's Thesis

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• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	M.P.H.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health Sociology, Public and Social Welfare History, Russian and Soviet
Keyword	Abortion Family Planning Abortion Policy Russian History Soviet Health Russian Health
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Blevins, John
Partnering Agencies	Does not apply (no collaborating organization)

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