Hospitals in several Russian regions had imposed a de facto moratorium on abortions during an annual pro-life campaign run by the prime minister’s wife this summer.

Faced with the lowest birth rate in a decade, the Russian government seeks to reverse the demographic crisis with a $8.6 billion plan to encourage Russians to have more babies by offering mortgage subsidies and other social programs.

The short-term abortion ban took place in the Far Eastern regions of Primorye and Sakha, as well as Ryazan in central Russia, during the “Give Me Life” campaign run by Svetlana Medvedeva’s foundation, the Kommersant business daily reported Saturday.

“By introducing a temporary ban on abortion, we emphasize the need to take care of your health,” Svetlana Sagaydachnaya, chief doctor at a Vladivostok maternity home in Primorye, told Kommersant.

The campaign aims to “protect unborn children and promote family values,” Primorye’s chief OB-GYN, Yevgenia Shutka. was quoted as saying.

In Sakha, health officials said they were testing the abortion ban at a Yakutsk perinatal center because the existing awareness campaign was not successful in leading to fewer abortions.