Russia introduces special procedure for obtaining abortion licenses

The Russian government has made it mandatory for hospitals to obtain separate licenses to perform abortions. The decree has been published and will come into force in December 2017.

Previously, the right to perform abortions was included in the general license issued to healthcare providers. Making the service a separate care category will allow abortions to be better monitored and abortion statistics to be maintained, said the Ministry of Health.

• In September 2016, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow signed a petition requesting that abortions be excluded from being covered by Russia’s national health insurance system. He called this measure “the first right step” in reducing the number of abortions being performed in Russia.
• The petition was evaluated by a special government committee, which decided not to let it go forward. Health Ministry experts said that excluding abortion from coverage by Russian’s national health insurance would only increase the number of illegal abortions.