The Patriarchal Commission for the Protection of Family Affairs, Maternity and Childhood within the Russian Orthodox Church has advanced a proposal to impose criminal sanctions for anyone who incites or compels a woman to undergo an abortion in a medical facility. This initiative emerged from a formal meeting held on a date aligned with the VI Hippocratic Medical Forum, with the proposal put forward by the commission’s president, Fyodor Lukyanov. The plan envisions strengthening the legal framework to explicitly punish acts that pressure or coax a woman into terminating a pregnancy, arguing that such coercion infringes on a person’s autonomy and can have profound social and ethical consequences. The notion centers on safeguarding the principle that decisions about pregnancy should be made freely by the woman involved, free from coercion or manipulation, while recognizing the diverse factors that influence such deeply personal choices. The commission suggests that criminalizing coercive behavior could serve as a deterrent and provide a clearer legal standard for prosecutions, thereby reinforcing protections for expectant mothers and reducing the social harms linked to pressure from others within communities, clinics, or related networks. This proposal also seeks to recalibrate the penalties associated with illegal abortion by proposing a higher monetary sanction and a longer corrective term, thereby signaling a stricter stance in cases where coercion or non-consensual pressures lead to an abortion. The discussion includes introducing a new category termed criminal abortion, defined to cover circumstances in which medical or social criteria for abortion are not met due to external pressures or non-compliance with established guidelines by unqualified parties, with the aim of ensuring that the medical process adheres to recognized standards and patient rights are upheld. The broader objective appears to be aligning moral and ethical considerations with legal accountability for actions that influence a woman’s reproductive choices, while acknowledging the complex interplay of medical, social, and religious factors that surround decisions about pregnancy within contemporary society.
In this context, the proposal calls for amendments to the article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation that currently addresses illegal abortion, outlining punishments for those who encourage or force a woman to terminate a pregnancy in contravention of applicable laws and professional norms. The envisioned changes would raise the consequence of illegal abortion from the previously set threshold to a higher level, potentially increasing both the financial penalty and the period of imprisonment or corrective supervision, depending on the final legislative framework adopted. By articulating the offense in terms of coercive influence and non-consensual pressure, the commission aims to close perceived gaps in protection for patients who may be vulnerable to manipulation within the medical or communal sphere. This approach underscores a broader debate about the role of religious and ethical authorities in shaping public policy on reproductive rights, while also acknowledging the rights of women to make informed, voluntary choices about their bodies without fear of coercion or retaliation. The topic remains contentious within wider society, as stakeholders weigh the implications for medical practice, personal autonomy, and the boundaries of religious guidance in a secular legal system, all within the context of ongoing discussions about health, safety, and social responsibility. It is worth noting that global health statistics from the World Health Organization emphasize the seriousness of pregnancy-related complications, reporting that a woman dies due to pregnancy or childbirth roughly every two minutes on the world stage, a figure that highlights the urgency of improving maternal health outcomes and the protection of women from coercive pressures surrounding reproductive decisions.