Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
In his last sermon, Catholicos and Patriarch of Georgia Ilya II stated that abortion was “the biggest crime committed almost in every family.” According to him, “the death penalty is forbidden in many states, but abortion is a realized agreed murder of a helpless creature by its parents.” The Patriarch noted that “the mean extirpation of innocent children is provided with participation of doctors and connivance of authorities and society.” “In the ancient world abortion was banned; the Christian Church thought it was a death sin; and only the Soviet authorities permitted it. If anybody makes a mother choose between her life and life of her baby, she will definitely choose a baby and sacrifice herself. How can a mother severely kill an unborn child? It feels the same pain, like a grown-up,” The Patriarch said and urged the authorities to adopt a law on abortion ban. According to bystanders, the flock listed to the Patriarch with fear on their faces. A tough discussion immediately began in society.
The same demand is voiced by religious activists in many other countries. But the point is that in Georgian the Orthodox Church possesses huge influence, rising over all other social institutes and sometimes substituting state structures. The growth of church influence was started by the concordat signed under the regime of President Shevardnadze. The document gave the Georgian Orthodox Church unique functions and privileges, including no paying taxes, agreement of many social issues with bishops. A special role was given to the Patriarch, who had great authority. It wasn’t a surprise because the political class, the elite, and intelligent people were discredited.
However, the demand of abortion ban touched on such a sensitive side of personal life that the discussion appeared to be objective and multisided. At the same time, trying not to insult the Patriarch, most opponents of the ban tried to make rational arguments instead of speaking about “human rights.” Premier Bidzina Ivanishvili stated that if the Church was concerned about demography, it should know the growth of the birth rate didn’t depend on abortions. “We can increase the rate of births only due to economic development and improvement of living standards,” he said. However, Patriarch focused in his sermon on the moral and ethic aspect, rather than demography.
The Patriarch was immediately supported by powerful activists of the ruling coalition, Georgian Dream. The leader of the party Koba Davitashvili promised to develop a special law on “abortion ban” and agreed to make exceptions only in unique cases, while single mothers would receive the program of witness protection: “If a single woman doesn’t want to give birth to a baby only because she is ashamed of her social position, the state must provide her with accommodation in other town or village.”
Absurdity of such initiatives was noted by many opponents from NGO, who strive for gender equality. But not all people dared to speak against the idea of abortion ban. At the same time, social nets are full of anonymous discussions on excessive influence of the Church on social life. The question is whether the society and the state are able to establish “holding mechanisms” which would prevent the country from turning into theocracy.
