Private clinics in Crimea refuse to provide abortion services

Private clinics in Crimea refused to provide abortion services, the Ministry of Health of the republic said. It is only public hospitals that can now provide such services to women in Crimea. A mandatory psychological consultation before an abortion is required as well.

"In all antenatal clinics in Crimea, patients who contact a gynecologist for abortion are referred for psychological pre-abortion counseling. Specialists help women understand reasons for their decision, they inform them about possible measures of support from the state too,” the head of the Crimean Ministry of Health, Konstantin Skorupsky said.

According to the department, over the nine months of 2023, as many as 1,037 pregnant women underwent medical and psychological counseling before an abortion in Crimea. Twenty-one percent of them ultimately decided not to terminate their pregnancy.

Russian MP suggests women who refuse abortion should be paid

The State Duma of the Russian Federation has come up with another unusual way to increase the birth rate in the country. United Russia deputy Biysultan Khamzaev proposed to encourage women financially for their decision not to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. Khamzaev sent his proposal to Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova for consideration, RIA Novosti reports.

The MP believes that "the state should have a maternal protective function.” If a woman still does not want to raise her child, she should have an option in which she can place the child under the care of the state. This is the most effective way to save the life of an unborn child, Biysultan Khamzaev believes.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that the issue of abortion in Russia was very serious. One needs to improve the economic situation in Russia in order to solve it, increase wages, raise the level of social services and assistance to families.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Health tightened the circulation of abortion pills. Abortion drugs such as misoprostol, mifepristone and cyclopentolate were put on the list of medicines subject to quantification, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation said.

A recent poll conducted by the All-Russian Centre for Public Opinion said that many Russians believe that the state should regulate the issue of abortion. However, the majority of respondents spoke against measures that would restrict the sale of abortion drugs. In Russia, it is also proposed to ban abortions in private clinics in order to increase demographics. Propaganda of abortion is likely to be banned in Russian regions in the near future.