“Who Is the Author of Life?”

Russian schools have begun holding anti-abortion lessons based on a teaching manual from the St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Foundation. Disguised as biology classes, these sessions emphasize the idea that life begins at conception. During the lesson, students are shown videos, handed plastic fetal models at different stages of development, and asked, “Who is the author of life?”

Though officially targeted at high schoolers, organizers say the topic can be introduced to younger children as well. At the end of the lesson, students are invited to complete reflective prompts like “I was surprised that...” and “I felt that...”

Teachers are offered a payment of 1,500 rubles for conducting such classes. To receive the money, they must record parts of the lesson, collect filled-out questionnaires from students, and register as self-employed.

The main sponsor behind the initiative is the St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Foundation, which collaborates with the ultra-conservative “Sorok Sorokov” movement. The foundation openly states: “Our goal is to get inside schoolchildren’s heads.” It is already working with school administrations and pressuring the Ministry of Education to promote its materials.

According to Verstka, these lessons have already taken place in dozens of schools, colleges, and even a juvenile detention facility across Moscow, Leningrad, Saratov, Krasnoyarsk, and Kemerovo regions, as well as in Stavropol and Krasnodar territories, Mordovia, and the annexed territory of Crimea.