In connection with repeated statements about the necessary turn of Russian society and politics towards supporting birth rate and traditional values, voiced at various levels, the topic of banning abortions in commercial clinics has been raised again.
At a State Duma session in June, Deputy Speaker Peter Tolstoy asked Health Minister Mikhail Murashko to consider banning abortions in commercial clinics and to take control of the circulation of hormonal drugs for sex change and chemical abortions.
Anna Kuznetsova, vice-speaker of the State Duma, suggested that Russian regional governors consider limiting the issuance of abortion licenses to private clinics. She said this at a meeting of the State Council Commission on Social Policy, where they discussed the demographic situation on June 28.
“At the moment, there’s nothing that would prevent regional heads from making a decision on their own territory, given that they are the ones who issue the license for the relevant activity [for terminating pregnancy],” Kuznetsova said.
First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children Tatyana Butskaya supported the proposal for a ban, expressing the opinion that this measure will have a positive impact on women’s reproductive health: doctors to whom patients will turn will now primarily care about their health, and not about the clinic’s profit and their income.
Chairman of the State Council Commission on Social Policy, Governor of the Novgorod Region Andrei Nikitin also supported this initiative:
“For over a year now, the topic of banning abortion in private clinics has been discussed. I don’t know people who would be against it. No traditional religion supports abortion… Let’s conduct some kind of survey among the subjects, among the members of our commission and send it to the Ministry of Health. Some private clinics have voluntarily surrendered these licenses, and some will go to the prosecutor’s office, and the regions will be obliged to issue them (licenses). Of course, there must be a decision here at the federal level.”
There are a number of claims against private abortion clinics, the main ones being the following:
- First, these organizations are the main providers of notorious “clandestine” or simply illegal abortions, which are carried out for profit in violation of deadlines, the “week of silence” rule, etc. This is where modern illegal abortion is performed, which has nothing to do with “old hags” performing illegal abortion and “coat hangers” being used to induce an abortion.
- Second, private clinics do not provide reports on the procedures performed. However, this situation is likely to change soon, according to Olga Krivonos, deputy chief of staff of the government: as of July, commercial clinics will be obliged to provide statistical information on abortions.
Kurgan Governor Shumkov said he intends to combat population outflow and low birth rates by restricting abortions. The head of the region has set a task for doctors to dissuade 80% of women who want to get rid of their children from actually going through with the abortion. In the Kurgan region, the mortality rate is now twice as high as the birth rate.
Also, children’s ombudsman of Tatarstan Irina Volynets sent appeals to the State Duma Committees on Family, Women and Children Affairs and on Health Protection with a request to “develop a bill, according to which the procedure of artificial termination of pregnancy will be carried out only under the obligatory medical insurance system”. She noted that if we limit the possibility of this procedure to the framework of the obligatory medical insurance, then control will be strengthened, including control over “pre-abortion counseling, during which some women refuse to terminate pregnancy.” She also believes it will “provide reliable abortion statistics.”
Nina Ostanina, head of the State Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children, has consistently opposed any restrictions on abortion. She calls access to abortion a “right.”