Culture

Russian province gets set for 'Conception Day'

by merrie | September 10, 2007 at 05:17 pm

265 views | 12 Recommendations | 2 comments

A Russian province, has launched a campaign to increase birth rates.
The "Hero Mothers" are encouraged to give birth on June 12th, which is
the traditional" Constitution Day". They have announced that they will award prizes to the new mom's. This Wednesday's event, unofficially called "Conception Day", is timed precisely
nine months ahead of next year's Constitution Day, so that mothers
"ideally should give birth on June 12"

A series of concerts and exhibitions are being organised to promote family values and employers are being encouraged to grant a discretionary day off, said the spokeswoman.

"The purpose is to improve the demographic situation and support family values," she said, adding that a four-year programme of building and improving kindergartens was under way to support families.

On Monday, the independent national paper Novye Izvestiya reported that local people had taken to referring to Wednesday as "Conception Day," although it also noted some dissent.

"We've already sunk to the level where the governor is ordering us on what day to conceive a child and on what day to give birth," the paper quoted local human rights activist Alexander Bragin as saying.