Abortion Numbers In Russia Dropped By About 100,000 Compared To 2018 - Putin

This year's number of abortions in Russia declined by approximately 100,000 when compared to the previous year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday

KALININGRAD (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st October, 2019) This year's number of abortions in Russia declined by approximately 100,000 when compared to the previous year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

On October 31, the Russian leader held a meeting with the public representatives of the Kaliningrad region to discuss public health, social and other urgent issues.

"The rates of abortions in Russia have dropped by approximately 100,000 compared to the previous year's numbers," Putin said.

During the meeting, the public representatives also stressed that specialized NGOs are not always allowed to practice anti-abortion consultations in maternity welfare centers, which is, above all, connected with medical confidentiality.

The president supported the involvement of NGOs in consultations for women who decided to terminate a pregnancy, on the condition that such a practice will be based on a patient's voluntary consent.

"No one should be forced to do it [attend an anti-abortion consultation], but prohibiting such a practice is also wrong. We will try to organize the process in a way that does not violate people's right to protect their personal information and to provide them with the possibility of choosing among the proposed solutions, including those of the NGOs," Putin said.

At the same time, he added that additional money under the childbirth medical voucher program should be paid for psychological support in health facilities. This measure will be implemented in 2020.