Nearly a fifth of licensed facilities have decided not to provide the service, according to the clergy
More than 500 private medical centers have refused to provide abortion services despite being licensed to do so, the Russian Orthodox Church has said. This comes amid a pro-life Church initiative and a state push to boost birth rates in Russia.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, met with top figures in the clergy as well as the Deputy Chairman of the Demography Commission of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation on Thursday.
“According to the participants of the meeting, more than 71 regions of the Russian Federation supported the initiative of His Holiness the Patriarch to restrict abortion; 502 private clinics in Russia refused to perform abortions, which is 18% of all clinics licensed to perform abortions,” the Church statement said.
Abortions are legal in Russia, and the practice is covered by the…