Vsevolod Chaplin, a spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church, says the USSR’s decision to legalize abortions paved the way for the country’s main “recurring disasters” throughout the 20th century.

Chaplin, who manages the Department for Church and Society Relations, has demanded that the government stop obligating insurance companies to include coverage for abortions, saying it is unfair to force the general public to shoulder the costs of this procedure. Chaplin does, however, concede that abortions are permissible in cases of rape, or if the mother’s life is at risk.

In May 2015, lawmakers in the Duma introduced legislation that would remove mandatory coverage for abortions from medical insurance regulations. Senate Speaker Valentina Matviyenko and Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets have both spoken out against the draft legislation.

In January 2015, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, advocated an end to mandatory health insurance coverage for abortions, saying the change would improve the country’s demographic situation.