Russian Human Rights Advocate Dr Olga Demitschewa
Moscow is considering directing women who express a desire to have no children to psychological counseling, a move that has sparked criticism even within the Russian government. The initiative, announced by the Ministry of Health, aims to address the country’s declining birth rate, but opponents are characterizing it as coercive and a violation of personal freedom.
Under the proposed plan, as reported by the Tagesspiegel and n-tv.de, doctors will ask women during routine reproductive health checkups how many children they would like to have “considering their current life circumstances.” A response of “none” will trigger a referral to a psychologist. Although the Ministry of Health frames these referrals as recommendations, concerns are mounting that they will be implemented as de facto requirements in a country with an increasingly authoritarian political climate.
The stated goal of the measure is to prevent abortions and foster a “positive attitude” towards motherhood. Although, Olga Demitscheva, a member of the Russian President’s Human Rights Council, has denounced the plan as “coercion to reproduce.” “describe this initiative any other way than as transforming a woman from a free personality into an instrument for improving the demographic situation,” Demitscheva stated, according to both the Tagesspiegel and an Instagram post cited by DuckDuckGo search results.
The initiative comes as Russia grapples with persistently low birth rates, a demographic challenge that the Kremlin views as a threat to national security and economic stability. The pressure on women to have children has been intensifying, with the new policy representing a significant escalation in state intervention. The n-tv.de report highlights the growing desperation to reverse the trend in the world’s largest country by area.
Demitscheva further argued that while many women may not envision a life without motherhood, those with different life plans should not be subjected to “corrective pedagogy.” Her comments, reported across multiple sources, underscore the ethical and human rights concerns surrounding the policy.
Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko has asserted that “the earlier a woman gives birth, the better,” a statement that has fueled criticism of the initiative as paternalistic and dismissive of women’s autonomy. The Tagesspiegel reported Murashko’s comment as part of the broader context of the debate.
Despite the criticism from within the Human Rights Council, which is typically aligned with President Vladimir Putin, the Ministry of Health has yet to publicly address the concerns or announce any modifications to the plan. As of today, no official timeline for implementation has been released, leaving the future of the policy – and the rights of Russian women – uncertain.