Russian officials are restricting abortion access to address the country’s long-standing demographic crisis.
Making it an offense to try to persuade a woman to have an abortion is one measure, as is forcing private clinics to stop performing the practice.
Feminist organizations claim that advertising endangers women’s lives.
The Russian Orthodox Church, which has close ties to the Kremlin, is a significant figure in the anti-abortion movement.
“As a member of the clergy, I testify that abortion is a disaster and a tragedy for the woman and those close to her,” Patriarch Kirill, the church’s Kremlin-backed leader, stated in January 2023.
“Officials, ultra-right politicians, and the church are actively forcing women and girls to give birth to unwanted children,” according to the Urals Feminist Movement, a group that has organized small-scale abortion rights protests.
“These initiatives will only lead to a dramatic increase in the number of illegal abortions and a huge number of maimed and killed Russian women.”
Russian Authorities Crack Down On Abortion Access Amid Demographic Crisis
Russia’s population is nearly the same as over 20 years ago. Official numbers show that Russia has 144 million inhabitants, which is 2 million fewer than in 2001 when President Vladimir Putin first took office.
The high frequency of abortions, according to religious authorities, is a major contributor to the demographic issue. Almost one-third of Russian women have had one.
More than 500,000 pregnancies will be terminated in 2022, compared to 1.3 million children born in Russia. Mr. Putin described it as a “serious problem.”
“The population can be increased as if by waving a magic wand: if we solve this problem and learn how to dissuade women from having abortions, statistics will go up immediately,” Patriarch Kirill said.
Authorities are concerned that the declining number of young people, particularly men, will make recruiting soldiers for the Russian military more difficult. There are also concerns regarding the economic consequences of a static population.
The authorities are increasingly attempting to limit abortions unofficially even though the country’s laws remain among the most permissive in the world on paper.
The Health Ministry has issued guidelines instructing doctors on how to best discourage women from obtaining abortions. Doctors are encouraged to advise pregnant women under the age of 18 that young parents bond with their children better “because they are practically from the same generation.”
If a pregnant woman is unmarried, doctors should advise her that “having a child is not an impediment to finding a life partner.”
Russian Authorities Crack Down On Abortion Access Amid Demographic Crisis
Simultaneously, authorities are prohibiting the sale of drugs used to stop pregnancies even though sales grew by more than 50% last year. Pharmacies will be required to register the sale of such medications in separate databases beginning in September 2024.
The government also provides financial incentives to pregnant women and those who give birth, including rewards of up to 524,500 roubles (£4,680, $5,830) that may be used to buy a home or pay for education.
A fifth of abortions in Russia are performed in private clinics, which have been pressured by religious authorities to discontinue the service.
“As a member of the clergy, I testify that an abortion is a disaster and a tragedy for the woman and those close to her,” stated Patriarch Kirill.
As a result, governors in ten Russian districts are attempting to prevent private clinics from providing abortions.
In early November, the seized Ukrainian province of Crimea was the first place where private clinics stopped performing abortions. It was quickly followed by the Kursk region, where four of every five private clinics no longer provide the service.
Restricting access to abortions at private clinics, according to World Health Organization specialist Lyubov Yerofeyeva, will affect women’s health.
Russian Authorities Crack Down On Abortion Access Amid Demographic Crisis
Andrei Belostotsky, deputy governor of the Kursk area, called this “a significant event” since practically all women who want to terminate their pregnancy will have to travel to state hospitals, where authorities will “actively work with them” to persuade them to change their minds.
Another idea recommended by Patriarch Kirill and currently in place in some parts of Russia is a prohibition on “incitement to abortion.”
“We require more personnel. “It’s a well-known fact among politicians and sociologists alike,” he said at an Orthodox Church conference. “But for this to happen, you need to make real efforts,” he said.
The patriarch cited the western region of Mordovia as an example, which has established fines of up to 200,000 roubles ($2,250; £1,800) for attempting to persuade a pregnant woman to undergo an abortion. He believes such bans should be implemented throughout the country.
Experts are concerned that the anti-abortion effort will hurt women’s health by deterring safer medical abortions.
“This will be a setback for medical abortions because the vast majority of private clinics promoted this method.” “More than 80% of their procedures were medical abortions, whereas state hospitals mostly performed surgical abortions,” Ms Yerofeyeva of the WHO added.
“Surgical abortions are associated with a higher risk of complications, side effects, and injuries.” That is why the rest of the world is turning away from them.”
Ms Yerofeyeva is also concerned that the restrictions on legal abortions would lead to an increase in risky illegal procedures.
SOURCE – (BBC)
