“For every 10 births in Russia, there are still nearly 13 abortions.” –Steven Myers, NY Times
Yet Russia’s new law is a step in the right direction: it restricts the permitted grounds for mid- and late-term abortions to:
…rape, imprisonment, the death or severe disability of the husband or a court ruling stripping a woman of her parental rights. Being a single mother or a refugee [or divorced or in poor housing…–RC] is no longer reason enough to abort a pregnancy after the 12th week.
As before, pregnancies can still be aborted after 12 weeks on medical grounds, including severe disabilities of the fetus or a threat to the mother’s life.
It won’t have a big effect on the raw numbers, and it leaves several obviously immoral reasons undisturbed, as well as all abortions up to the 12th week — but removing some of the “reasons” is a good step that will save a few lives.