Most Russians opposed to excluding abortion from national insurance coverage

Most Russians do not support the idea of ​​removing abortion of their country's mandatory health insurance list, showed Russian Public Opinion Research Center VTsIOM. Of those surveyed, 70 percent spoke out against excluding abortion from national insurance coverage.

Only 4 percent of respondents felt that abortion should not be permitted under any circumstances; the vast majority believed that abortion should be a woman's personal decision.

In late September, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill of Moscow signed an anti-abortion petition of writen up by organizations Pro-Life and Orthodox Volunteers. Later, a spokesman for the patriarch denied that the Patriarch had signed such a document, instead maintaining that the petition called for excluding abortion from the compulsory health insurance system. A reference on the Moscow Patriarchate's website, however, suggested the opposite.

Russia's Children's Rights Commission Anna Kuznetsova also commented on abortion, saying: "[We] believe that the matter requires a systematic approach," said Kuznetsova, adding that Russia has "successful practice[s] for the prevention of abortion." According to the Children's Right Commissioner, experts managed to dissuade 67,000 Russian women from getting abortions last year alone.

"This work should be continued, with an emphasis on protecting traditional family values, [offering] support for mothers [and] families with children, helping young families, and improving the [education] and [promoting] social initiatives in this sphere," said Kuznetsova.

Russia's Minister of Health Veronika Skvortsova, however, said that excluding abortion from the compulsory health insurance system would endanger women's health.