YOU GOTTA WANT IT:

Abortions in Russia Kill 33% of Mothers Who Have Them (LifeSiteNews.com, 4/14/05)

Conservative estimates put the Russian abortion rate at 60% of all pregnancies, approximately a tenth of which are on girls under 18. Vladimir Kulakov, the deputy director of the Russian Women's Health Center says that of some 38 million women of childbearing age, about 6 million are infertile, and medical authorities consider abortion as a major cause of infertility.

Now a new study shows that the death rate of women seeking abortion is also uncommonly high. Abortion is a dangerous invasive procedure whether legalized or not, but with much of Russian medical facilities working with antiquated equipment, many more women are dying from abortion complications in Russia than elsewhere.

Kulakov told Mosnews.com that of 3.5 million annual Russian pregnancies, only 1.5 million children are actually being born. Add to that the death rate of one woman in three and the number of women of child-bearing years who are capable of conceiving, Russia's demographic disaster is promising to be worse even than the most sombre predictions. Kulakov said that as many as 15% of Russian couples are infertile and suggests a government funded program of artificial insemination.

The mortality rate can't possibly be that high (can it?), but the demographic disaster is very real.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 14, 2005 7:52 PM