Russian couples get time off for sex

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Nine months from today—June 12, 2008—is Russia Day, the country's national day. And the Russian region of Ulyanovsk, the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin, is hoping to celebrate by having lots of women "give birth to a patriot" on that day to bring up birthrates and reverse the country's population decline.

To help couples produce a baby on the national holiday, the region has declared today—Sept. 12—as the "Day of Conception" and is giving couples a half day off work to do what it takes to conceive a baby. Couples who produce a baby on June 12, when everyone is out celebrating patriotism, win prizes such as money, automobiles, refrigerators, washing machines, TVs, and video cameras. The grand-prize winning couple is selected by a committee based on their fitness to be parents. This year's (June 2007) grand-prize winning couple won a UAZ Patriot SUV.

This year is the third year that Conception Day is being held, and since the beginning of the campaign, birthrates in the region have increased. One has to wonder, though, if in the long run, Conception Days will just cause births to be concentrated in June rather than being more evenly dispersed throughout the 12 months of the year, resulting in little overall increase in annual birthrates.