For many, the nation of Azerbaijan remains an obscure, almost mysterious location on the global map. Few outside its immediate region could quickly pinpoint its coordinates, nor does it typically feature prominently on lists of popular tourist destinations. Yet, this post-Soviet republic is currently central to a critical global crisis: it ranks among the nations with the highest abortion rates in the world. Understanding where Azerbaijan is situated, both geographically and culturally, is essential for comprehending why it has become a crucial focal point for the global effort to advance the gospel of life.

Locating the Enigma on the Caspian Sea

Azerbaijan holds a unique position, historically and geographically, that contributes to its current complex social landscape. It is situated on the edge of the Caspian Sea, placing it geographically near countries like Iraq and Iran, suggesting a Middle Eastern influence. However, its recent history defines it as part of the old Soviet bloc, bordering nations such as Russia and Georgia. This Soviet past, as will be discussed, plays a defining role in its present-day abortion culture.

Azerbaijan is predominantly Muslim. In fact, it possesses a much higher percentage of Muslim inhabitants than Egypt, a country that is approximately 86.7% to 90% Muslim. While Egypt’s restrictive abortion laws are largely attributed to the cultural influence of Islam, the overwhelming Muslim complexion of Azerbaijan, which is thought to be much higher than 90%, makes its high abortion rate particularly confounding.

The Confounding Crisis: Abortion and Nominal Faith

The primary reason Azerbaijan warrants global attention is its startling placement on international health and missions data. Global organizations like PassionLife focus their energy and resources on areas where abortion is particularly concentrated. When analyzing data that ranks the world’s highest abortion rate countries, Azerbaijan appears extremely high on the list.

Prior to roughly 2021 or 2022, accurate statistics were not always reported for various nations, meaning countries like India and Azerbaijan were missing from early ranking lists. However, based on re-evaluated statistics, Azerbaijan has taken over the position of number three globally for the highest abortion rate.

This ranking poses a significant enigma. Typically, conservative Muslim countries exhibit low abortion rates and strict laws because Muslims often regard abortion as murder—the killing of an innocent baby—a view shared by Christians. Indeed, in Egypt, the laws surrounding abortion are quite restrictive, largely influenced by Islam. Azerbaijan, as a very Muslim country, presents a stark contradiction by being right at the top of the world’s list of high abortion rate countries.

The Long Shadow of the Soviet Past

In seeking to understand this anomaly, several compelling theories emerge, rooted in Azerbaijan’s specific socio-political history. The most dominant theory points directly to its history as a part of the former Soviet Union block. Russia was notably one of the first countries in the 1920s to begin legalizing abortion, and this practice subsequently spread across all Soviet block countries, becoming deeply ingrained in the culture. It is theorized that the prevalence of abortion in Azerbaijan today is the “long tale of abortion culture that comes out of the Soviet Union”. Post-Soviet block countries frequently exhibit high abortion rates for precisely this reason.

Another factor contributing to the high rate, despite the country’s religious demographics, is the nature of the Islam practiced there. A significant portion of the Islamic faith in Azerbaijan is described as very nominal. Furthermore, Azerbaijan possesses an extraordinary amount of wealth, particularly due to the abundance of natural resources like oil and gas; there are places where oil and gas spontaneously seep up out of the ground and burn continually. The capital, Baku, is characterized as a wealthy, modern city, reflecting the society’s generally progressive nature for a Muslim country. This blend of nominal faith, economic prosperity, and a progressive culture likely contributes to the normalization of abortion.

Why We Should Care: A World Missions Challenge

The crisis in Azerbaijan is not merely a matter of statistics; it highlights a profound challenge for world missions. The need for intervention is staggering: the US accounts for only 3% of the abortions that occur annually worldwide, leaving 97% of the crisis to be addressed as a world missions challenge. PassionLife, recognizing this reality, focuses its strategic efforts on serving where the need is greatest and abortion is most concentrated.

The fundamental mission of organizations engaging in this work is to advance the gospel of life in the neediest places. The belief is that if Christians and local churches fully understand the biblical dynamics at play concerning the sanctity of life, intervention works—such as pregnancy help ministries that save babies—will naturally flow out of Christian obedience.

To achieve this, PassionLife partners with churches and pastoral leaders, teaching them what the Bible says about life, the shedding of innocent blood, and how to bring the grace of the gospel to the grief and guilt associated with abortion. They teach how believers in the past and present have rescued the most vulnerable from abortion. This specialized education is delivered through what is known as the “four questions training”. This training provides the theological foundation for treating life with dignity, value, and respect across the entire continuum of human existence, applying equally to all of humanity. For many international locations, this teaching proves groundbreaking because, much like in America, few pulpits address abortion directly, despite it being a commonplace problem in their societies.

The Exploratory Venture: Establishing a Beachhead

PassionLife’s initial trip to Azerbaijan is characterized as an “exploratory trip”. This designation indicates that the organization is just getting its feet on the ground in a new country. The process involves extensive analysis of data and networking to find the right contacts—the “person of peace”—who can invite influential leaders and help determine the potential for a long-term movement, rather than just a one-day training session.

The goal of such exploration is to discern where the Holy Spirit is opening doors. This discerning process is vital for deciding where to invest time, energy, and financial resources. There have been instances where previous exploratory trips did not generate the necessary connections or interest to establish a long-term partnership; thus, whether Azerbaijan becomes a sustained focus is ultimately dependent on the connections made during this initial venture.

The connections that led to the Azerbaijan trip illustrate the typical means by which global missions efforts begin: through everyday people. In this case, the connection was forged through a young woman who was friends with a partner’s daughter; she developed a deep heart for missions and Muslim people, eventually joining a mission agency. Though she has not yet moved to Azerbaijan full-time, she introduced PassionLife to long-term missionaries living in Baku who have established good connections with Azerbaijani believers and other local missionary types.

The exploration will involve two separate training sessions conducted in Baku. These trainings will utilize the “four questions training” material. To maximize impact and reach both the international community and the local church, one training session will be conducted in English, targeting the missionary and international Christian community. The second training will be conducted in Azerbaijani, specifically aimed at Azerbaijani Christians and local church leaders.

Conclusion: A Call for Global Engagement

Azerbaijan, an unexpected hot spot of abortion concentrated wealth and history, demands attention. Its high ranking among the world’s most abortion-rich nations makes it a crucial theater for world missions. The journey to Baku represents a committed effort to place a “flag in the ground” and resist global organizations—like the WHO or USAID—that often promote anti-life ideologies in conservative countries, striving to make them conform to ideologies that promote abortion and contraception.

By entering Azerbaijan, and simultaneously engaging in exploratory work in other crucial areas like Egypt (despite its cultural differences regarding abortion laws), the organization aims to help the local church be the church and reinforce its life-affirming witness. The plight of Azerbaijan underscores the truth that the defense of life is intrinsically linked to world missions, offering a powerful entry point for bringing good news to the guilty.

This article is adapted from the episode transcript.