Russian region bans ‘abortion propaganda’

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After lawmakers passed a legislation on Thursday imposing administrative sanctions for urging the artificial termination of a pregnancy, the Republic of Mordovia became Russia’s first region to formally ban the promotion of abortion.

The legislation’s authors stated that abortions were harmful to a woman’s health and that a high number of pregnancy terminations was one of the primary causes of low birth rates.

Inducing an abortion is defined by the law as forcing a pregnant woman to perform this act through persuasion, offers, bribery, deception, making demands, or enforcing or presenting the lady with ‘abortion propaganda’. Attempting to persuade a woman’s relatives to convince her to terminate a pregnancy is likewise prohibited.

Russian residents discovered in Mordovia in violation of this regulation, which takes effect ten days after it is announced, may face administrative fines ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 rubles ($53-$106). Foreign citizens will be charged between 10,000 and 20,000 rubles ($106-$210), while legal entities would be charged up to 200,000 rubles ($2,120).

The administrative offense will be declared committed even if the woman in question does not terminate the pregnancy, according to the paper.

However, a footnote to the legislation states that a doctor informing a woman about medical indications for an abortion does not constitute “coercion for an abortion.”