100 Years of Reproductive Regulation in Russia: From Legalization of Abortion to Public Assisted Reproductive Technologies

Nina Rusanova, THE INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STUDIES OF POPULATION The Russian Academy of Sciences

Reproductive birth control - impact on biological components of reproductive and self-protective behavior to limit or stimulate birth rate through the prevention, termination and promotion of pregnancy. In Russia it started in 1920 with legalization of abortion for reducing the birth rate. Estimation of reproductive policy through ratio of abortions and ART cycles shows reproductive dominance: reducing reproductive demographic development opportunities (abortion) or expansion (ART). New reproductive dominance: degree of negative impact has fallen from 749.7 abortions per ART cycle (1995) to 7.57 (2015), it was caused by change in the demographic priorities: budget quotas for ART in 2007, free ART for patients in 2013. After 1995 160,836 children were born using ART in Russia and ART contribute to the annual birth rate has grown from 0.04% to 1.55%.

2015-2016: new debate about abortion. In 1995-2015 abortion number was reduced to 3.26 times, number of ART cycles has increased 30.34 times, total annual costs of state budget for free abortion are in 4-5 times higher than the cost of free IVF. It was proposed to ban abortion or make them fully paid, but the result was additional licensing procedure.

In contrast abortion and ART, contraception in Russia is poorly controlled by law, except permission for sterilization (elder 35 years). 2014-2015: 85% of reproductive women are well aware of modern contraception, but only one in eight apply them, the rest don't use contraception or prefer traditional methods and ready to terminate accidental pregnancy; emergency contraception is not popular and surrounded by myths.

Reproductive birth control in Russia, which began with legalization of abortion, succeeding vector from anti- to pronatal now. Abortions as part of reproductive regulation exhibit a strong tendency to decrease and public condemnation, ART shows sustained rapid growth and public support, fundamental influence of contraception is not provided yet.

Presented in Poster Session 1