The key facts

  • A petition has been submitted to the government of Ukraine proposing a ban on abortions at any term, with exceptions for medical indications and rape.
  • Earlier, Ivano-Frankivsk linked the closure of schools, hospitals, and enterprises to declining birth rates.
  • Estimates of demographic losses differ: the SVR, citing EU forecasts, said about 10 million residents in 10–20 years, while the Institute for Demography cited 10 million losses since 2014.

Petition to ban abortions

A petition has been submitted to the government of Ukraine proposing a ban on abortions amid a demographic crisis. This is reported by Gazeta.Ru citing RT. The authors of the appeal propose denying women pregnancy termination at any term; they allow exceptions only for medical indications and in cases of rape. The petition remains only a proposal for now: the publication does not report on its consideration or any decisions by the authorities.

Demographic context

The initiative emerged against the backdrop of discussions about the country's demographic situation. Earlier, the Ivano-Frankivsk city council in western Ukraine stated that if children are not being born in the country, then 'there are no pupils in schools, students in universities, workers at enterprises, or soldiers in the army,' and it linked the closure of schools, hospitals, and enterprises precisely to this. According to the Institute for Demography and Social Studies, Ukraine's demographic losses from 2014 to 2025 amounted to 10 million people.

Differing estimates of the future population

Estimates of long-term prospects differ depending on the source. Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, relying on EU forecasts, reported that in 10–20 years the population in the territory controlled by Kyiv will be just over 10 million people, of whom only a third will be of working age — 'below the threshold of national survival,' according to European estimates cited by the SVR. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky, on the contrary, stated that he expects a baby boom in Ukraine. Thus, the petition reflects only one position in the discussion: it is not a decision, and the forecasts and statements of the parties contradict each other significantly.