From Stalin to Putin, abortion has had a complicated history in Russia

By DASHA LITVINOVA
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Abortion has had a complicated history in the Soviet Union and Russia. It was outlawed under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin but legalized and commonplace under later Kremlin leaders. Now, after less than a century, official attitudes about abortion Russia are changing once again. Although it is still legal and widely available, new restrictions on it are being considered as President Vladimir Putin takes an increasingly socially conservative turn and seeks to reverse Russia’s declining population. Having built ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, Putin is stressing “traditional family values” — often used as code words to differentiate his country from Western attitudes toward LGBTQ+ rights and other social policies.