In Russia, nurses may be allowed to refuse to perform abortions. The corresponding initiative came from Irina Volynets, Ombudsman for Children's Rights in Tatarstan.
As the ombudsman noted in a document sent to State Duma deputy Veronika Vlasova, today only the patient's attending physician has such a right. But even they can refuse to perform the procedure only after they agree with the official of the medical organization and notify in writing about the refusal.
At the same time, a doctor may refuse to perform an abortion if he or she believes that the procedure threatens the life of the patient or her fetus.
As for nurse-midwives, they have no such right, although they are directly involved in performing abortions. Therefore, Volynets proposes to make appropriate amendments to the law "On the Fundamentals of Health Protection of Citizens in the Russian Federation," RT reported.