Russian MP urges women to speed up child birth

A lawmaker has cited an increased risk of genetic mutations specific to aging as the government tries to reverse a demographic slump

Russian women should have children before 35, according to the deputy head of the legislature’s Commission on Family, Women, and Children, Tatyana Butskaya. The lawmaker cited a risk of genetic disorders of the fetus in mothers after that age.

The MP admitted that medicine has recently made significant progress in tackling problems connected with genetic mutations, that it is currently possible to scan and analyze eggs and embryos, and even perform intrauterine operations. Butskaya stressed, however, that it is better for women to become mothers at a biologically more appropriate time.

“I remember it from my time at medical school, they showed us slides demonstrating how the number of genetic mutations in ovums after 35 increases exponentially,” Butskaya said. “This cannot be cured or regulated, that’s why you have to give birth to children before 35.”

The birth rate in Russia has become a hot issue for lawmakers, prompting the country’s authorities to consider a range of solutions, from tax breaks to restricting abortions.

Earlier this year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called 1.4 births per woman a terribly low level, saying that it was disastrous for the future of the nation.

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In February, statistics from the Federal Service for State Statistics (Rosstat) revealed a significant decline in the birth rate. Just over 1.2 million children were born in Russia last year – the lowest figure since 1999 and one-third fewer than in 2014.

Among recent proposals to reverse the negative demographic trend are the re-establishment of a “childless tax” from Soviet times and a ban on abortions. Both ideas have been coldly received by the Kremlin. The Russian parliament however, has passed legislation to penalize “child-free ideology” and “LGBT propaganda” as being hostile to family formation and values.