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There are so many errors in Steyn's article I don't know where to start, and so I will just list a couple and let others add to the list. I'm not saying Russia doesn't have problems, but the author doesn't have a clue.

Firstly, Russian men do not live to 56, which is an exaggeration on Steyn's part. It did drop to 58 at one time, but now is back over 60.

Secondly, while Russia did have a problem with abortions at one time, abortion has been strictly restriced by law to the first 12 weeks.

"Secondly, while Russia did have a problem with abortions at one time, abortion has been strictly restriced by law to the first 12 weeks."

Formally, yes. But in the side alley, you could always slip 50 roubles into a doctor's pocket and he/she would be more than happy to scratch it out of you in his/her appartment. BTW, many women preferred it that way, çause then they got sedated. In the MW's, they kind of had to do without sedation.

Firstly, Russian men do not live to 56, which is an exaggeration on Steyn's part.

Maybe, but do you have any references to refute him?

Secondly, while Russia did have a problem with abortions at one time, abortion has been strictly restriced by law to the first 12 weeks.

What does that have to do with a 70% abortion rate? I don't think Steyn offered any statistics on when the abortions were performed, just how many were performed.

What you say might be correct, but without references you won't get far in your argument.

Gary - I was hoping you were right, but I'm not convinced. I looked for articles dated in 2005, and these are three that I immediately came up with:

"The average life expectancy of Russian men makes up 58-59 years today, which is 14-15 years less than the life expectancy of Russian women or men from developed countries." http://english.pravda.ru/main/18/90/360/15093_men.html

"Government statistics show that the average Russian man lives 58.6 years, compared with 73 years for the average Russian woman. In 1990, just before the Soviet Union broke apart, life expectancy for men was 63.4 years."
http://www.freep.com/news/nw/russia12e_20050212.htm

"IN THE two days since Lisa Petrachkova was born, Russia’s population has dropped by an estimated 2,000 people. By the time she is one, more than 200,000 Russians will have died of unnatural causes; almost seven times the estimated civilian deaths in Iraq since the war began...last year, there were 1.6 million registered abortions in Russia and 1.5 million births....We have reached a point of no return. In terms of numbers there will never be more of us than before. But this is not the worst of it. The danger is that we are reaching another point of no return, in terms of the quality of the population.” http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-1794617,00.html

There are so many errors in Steyn's article I don't know where to start, and so I will just list a couple and let others add to the list. I'm not saying Russia doesn't have problems, but the author doesn't have a clue. Firstly, Russian men do not live to 56, which is an exaggeration on Steyn's part. It did drop to 58 at one time, but now is back over 60. Secondly, while Russia did have a problem with abortions at one time, abortion has been strictly restriced by law to the first 12 weeks

If this is the best you can come up with, then I think Steyn is on the mark. An average male lifespan of 60 is pitiful. Second trimester abortions constitute only 12% of U.S. abortions. I can't imagine it is much greater in Russia.