Russian patriarch denounces high abortion rates

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill called on Thursday for a deep cut in the "horrifyingly high" number ‎of abortions, which he linked to a Western rejection of moral norms.  "The idea of absolutely prioritizing ‎the value of free choice and of rejecting the priority of moral norms has become a slowly exploding ‎bomb for Western civilization," he said in a speech to lawmakers.  His address was described by state ‎media as the first address by a head of the Russian Orthodox Church to the Duma, or lower chamber of ‎parliament, in modern Russia.  "If we could just cut in half the number of abortions, there would be ‎steady and powerful demographic growth," Patriarch Kirill said.  "Russia's ability to stand up in the face ‎of modern pseudo-values depends to a large extent on the active stance of Russian parliamentarians," ‎the Patriarch said.  ‎

Russia's population has been declining since the mid-1990s, hit by falling birth rates and life expectancy ‎in the chaos that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. It currently stands at 142.5 million, ‎compared with 148.7 million in 1991.  (Source: Reuter)