Russian region bans abortion, says women have no right for it

The Republic of Mordovia became the first region of Russia to have banned propaganda of abortions and inducement to abortions. Members of the State Assembly of the republic adopted the relevant law.

The law defines inducement to terminate a pregnancy as persuasion, offers, bribery, deceit, making demands on a pregnant woman, and other similar actions that could be taken in relation to her relatives and the father of the child. Medical indications for an abortion will not be considered inducement.

The law prohibits, in particular, the dissemination of information "about the social equivalence” of abortion and framing abortion as a social norm - an act that poses no harm to the health of a woman.

The law will enter into force ten days after its publication. The document does not specify what kind of administrative responsibility may ensue for those who violate the new law.

The explanatory note to the bill in particular says the following:

• The claim of the right to abortion being an internationally recognised human right or a woman's right is false;
• A woman finds herself in a situation of choice only because abortion as a choice that exists in her mind.

Despite legislative initiatives directed against abortion, it is very much unlikely Russia will ban abortion completely.