Russia Considering Abortion Restrictions

[Shin]

(Lifesite News Excerpts) In a speech last week Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that measures must be taken in the Russian Federation to boost the birth rate.

Following Putin’s speech, the Russian parliament, the Duma, introduced a bill to disqualify abortion as a medical service in the national health plan. It would also allow doctors to refuse to commit abortions.

On Wednesday the Duma also introduced a bill to restrict advertising for abortion.

Anton Belyakov, author of the bill and deputy from the Just Russia Party faction, told journalists, “The bill also commits doctors to warn women who decided to have an abortion that it may cause infertility, death or negatively affect physical and mental health.”

Abortion is a key issue in Russia’s plummeting population that has seen a drop from 148.5 million in 1995 to 143 million today.

Belyakov said Russia’s abortion rate is “unacceptable.” The country’s own statistics show that there are 1022 abortions committed for every 1000 births. Official numbers show between 1.6 and 1.7 million abortions per year, but unofficial estimates put it at closer to 6 million per year, 90 percent of which are done, as in most of the developed world, at the woman’s request for “social,” not medical reasons.

Commenting on Russia’s birth crisis, Larry Jacobs of the World Congress of Families NGO, said, “It’s not Russia alone that’s experiencing demographic winter.”

[Brigid]

.....Following Putin’s speech, the Russian parliament, the Duma, introduced a bill to disqualify abortion as a medical service in the national health plan. It would also allow doctors to refuse to commit abortions.

On Wednesday the Duma also introduced a bill to restrict advertising for abortion......commenting on Russia’s birth crisis, Larry Jacobs of the World Congress of Families NGO, said, “It’s not Russia alone that’s experiencing demographic winter.”

  There're positive things in the pro-life future!