MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. The Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) Healthcare Committee has come out in opposition to instituting a ban on performing abortions at private clinics after reviewing relevant recommendations by the Russian Health Ministry, the Vedomosti daily reported, citing a letter addressed to Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin.

The committee deems it necessary to preserve the right of Russian women to have an abortion performed by a doctor and at a clinic of their choice. The committee also favors continuing work on developing a mechanism for pre-abortion consulting. In 2022, almost 23% of women decided against having an abortion after receiving such consultations, which saved more than 47,000 pregnancies, the letter reads, citing Russian Health Ministry data. The Duma lawmakers also advise encouraging positive reproductive attitudes among women, informing them of government support measures while toughening controls over private clinics.

According to Vedomosti, committee members agree that discussing initiatives for legal restrictions or bans on abortion, including at private clinics, "requires thorough consideration and a balanced analysis."

In 2023, a number of Russian regions enacted legislation prohibiting actions aimed at predisposing women toward having an abortion, while private clinics in Crimea and Tatarstan, as well as in the Kursk, Lipetsk and other regions voluntarily refused to terminate pregnancies via the medical procedure. Lawmakers in the Nizhny Novgorod Region endorsed a bill barring abortion at private clinics nationwide at the initiative of Governor Gleb Nikitin.