Doctors must wise up on abortion – church leader

Russian doctors should drastically change their approach when dealing with pregnant women, Metropolitan Mark of Ryazan Diocese said, arguing that it is not just inappropriate but also “criminal” to ask an expectant mother whether she intends to keep the baby.

Speaking to the “Logos Ryazan” radio on Friday, Metropolitan Mark noted that the demographic situation in Ryazan is unfavorable even when compared to other Russian regions.

“But the question is not only about Ryazan, the question is about the Russian population in general,” he continued adding that “it is horrifying when you hear the stories when the right to live is being questioned.” 

The Metropolitan referred to medical personnel’s practice of asking a newly pregnant woman whether she wants to “keep the child.” 

“It may be habitual for medics, but it sounds horrifying. And what do we want after such a set of phrases that a doctor or a nurse says?,” he asked the host, who in turn admitted to being asked the very same question years ago.

“People talk about human rights. The right to education, to medical care, and so on, but here is a paradox – a person is deprived of the right to be born,” he continued. 

“It’s a life, a new life, a new person that we all need here. I think that medics, for the honor of the uniform, need to rethink this whole situation and categorically and fundamentally change their questions, their whole vocabulary. Frankly speaking, it is a disgrace for our medicine, and seriously speaking, it is a crime,” Metropolitan Mark concluded.

For many years, Russian officials have tried to improve the country’s demographics, having described the situation as “daunting.” A federal subsidy program was introduced in 2007 that allows families to receive hundreds of thousands rubles in ‘motherhood’ payments for each child born.

Although the number of abortions in Russia has been on a steady decline in recent years, a possible abortion ban became a hot topic in the country recently as several Russian regions forbade private clinics from performing the procedure or introduced penalties for persuading women to terminate their pregnancy. However, the speaker of the upper chamber of the national parliament, Valentina Matvienko, said that Russia is not going to ban abortions as such restrictions would only complicate the problem.

Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged last month that demographics remains an “acute problem,” declaring 2024 the ‘Year of the Family’ and suggesting Moscow restrict the sale of pregnancy-terminating drugs.

“Large families must become the norm, a way of life for all of Russia’s peoples,” Putin said, describing the family not only as the pillar on which the state and society stand, but also as “a source of morality.”

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