Russia will begin referring women who say they do not want children to psychologists under new health ministry guidelines aimed at addressing the country’s declining birth rate.
As part of routine reproductive health checks, doctors are now instructed to ask women how many children they plan to have. If a woman responds with zero, she may be directed to a medical psychologist to encourage a more positive attitude toward having children.
The guidelines were approved in late February and recently reported by state media.
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly framed Russia’s demographic decline as a national security issue. With birth rates falling and large numbers of young men deployed to the war in Ukraine, population decline has intensified.
Russia’s fertility rate is currently around 1.4 children per woman, significantly below the 2.1 level considered necessary to maintain a stable population.
In response, the government has introduced a range of pro-natalist measures, including tighter abortion restrictions and laws banning what it calls “child-free propaganda.”
Families with multiple children are being promoted as national role models and offered financial incentives and social benefits as part of broader efforts to reverse the population decline.
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