Should abortion be a political issue in Russia?

Abortion has been a hot political potato in the United States for decades, especially among those aiming for the White House. In Russia, abortion has been an accepted fact of life for generations. But with the country's birthrate falling, some politicians

While the abortion issue can make or break a candidate in the U.S., in Russia Presidential candidates vying for the Kremlin are focusing on other issues more important to the people. The economy and stability are at the top while the pro-life / pro-choice debate does exist.

But there is an exception. Duma Deputy Aleksandr Chuev has a mass movement of his own and it’s something he has been going at for a while.

“When I became a deputy in 2001 I looked at the statistics. Two million abortions per year. That of course was higher than the birth rate which is dropping each year. I began to fight for legislation to lower that number,” he said.

“I am Christian Orthodox and I cannot say that abortion is not murder, abortion is murder and I believe eventually we need to ban it completely,” he said.

But women like Alyona Kirillina, who aborted two pregnancies, feel very different.

Alyona says it doesn’t matter what country you're in, taking away a woman’s right to choose can be dangerous.

“If a women doesn’t want to have a child she will find a way and go to extreme measures not to have that child and it can be even more dangerous that way,” she said.