A senior Russian Orthodox Church lawyer has proposed mandatory coursework in "Christian foundations of traditional spiritual and moral values" for students. Father Vasily Losev argues that they need a religious framework to understand abortion the way the church does, The Moscow Times reports.

The initiative by the Russian Orthodox Church came amid an ongoing campaign to restrict abortions and encourage higher birth rates in response to Russia's demographic decline.

Losev calls for Christian reinterpretation of abortion law

Losev argued that Russia's existing abortion framework is itself unconstitutional, because an abortion does not save, but destroys an emerging life. That is why, according to him, it cannot count as medical care under the constitutional right to life.

For an Orthodox believer, Losev said, it is easy to reason that life begins at conception. For secular people, that is not obvious, so future doctors and lawyers should study the concepts of life, death, and abortion through the prism of the Christian worldview.

"At that point, the scientific findings take on a different meaning..." he said. 

Losev also said Russian legal tradition, rooted in Christian values, historically treated abortion as killing an unborn child, and that the absence of that grounding in students today produces dangerous legal interpretations.

Losev frames Russian society as split into two camps: those who consider abortion murder and those who consider it a woman's right, and says this is a systemic contradiction the Constitution must resolve.

Russia intensifies anti-abortion campaign amid demographic decline

Meanwhile, Russia's birth rate has fallen to levels last seen before 1999, and 2025 figures show roughly 1.6 deaths for every birth nationwide, with the ratio reaching three to one in some regions.

State Duma Family Protection Committee chair Nina Ostanina has called for a "special demographic operation," language echoing the Kremlin's own term for the war, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

An anti-abortion film produced by a church-linked media channel began screening in Russian cinemas, schools, and government offices in November 2024.

Health Ministry data cited in Losev's own remarks show the campaign already shows results: pregnancy terminations fell 5% in 2025 to 321,000, with abortions performed at a woman's request down 9.9% to 120,600.

At least 30 Russian regions have adopted laws banning coercion to abortion, with 24 of those regions imposing fines reaching roughly $6,335 for institutions.