The Cabinet of Ministers urged the State Duma to finalize the bill, as it could limit the rights of women and commercial medical institutions, as well as lead to increased budget expenditures due to the fact that the responsibility for terminating a pregnancy would be shifted to the state.
A bill proposed last December by the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region proposes a ban on abortions in private clinics. The authors of the bill explain this by the fact that such clinics lack legal and psychological assistance for women before the procedure, as well as by the fact that clinics do not want to be held responsible for possible complications.
The government emphasized that the restrictions in the draft law apply not only to women, but also to commercial medical facilities. In addition, they may lead to an increase in budget expenditures, writes Public News Service.
Despite the fact that the law has not yet been passed, private clinics in some regions of Russia have already introduced a ban on abortions without pressure from the authorities.
In parallel with the discussion on the abortion ban, anti-abortion prayer services have been held in some regions, emphasizing the urgency of the topic in society.
Vitaly Milonov, a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, expressed his opinion on this issue. He believes that abortions in Russia should stop being an easily accessible medical service, similar to a visit to a hairdresser's or nail salon.
"It is strange to me the existence of private clinics where it is unknown what happens behind their walls," the parliamentarian concluded.