Controversy is growing both in and out of Russia as the government begins to ban abortions in private hospitals. The Russian government is justifying the ban by citing a shortage of male manpower due to massive casualties from the Ukraine war and a large-scale exodus abroad to avoid military service. However, women are strongly opposing the decision.
The controversy is spreading globally as regulations banning abortion increase in response to the deepening trend of low birth rates and the rise of far-right regimes. In South Korea, following the 2019 constitutional ruling that led to the abolition of the abortion law, there’s an increasing demand for prompt legislative action to address women’s health. This comes from the absence of follow-up legislation, which has left the matter unresolved for an extended period.
No Abortion Ban Legislation Yet… Putin: “Have Eight Children”
According to AFP on the 20th (local time), the ban on abortion surgeries is spreading in Russian regional health centers and major hospitals. The Russian parliament is currently discussing a bill to ban abortion surgeries, but the government has started issuing bans even before the legislation.
The Russian government and parliament have been discussing a ban on abortion surgeries since the outbreak of the Ukraine war last year. They proposed the ban as a solution as the male population significantly decreased due to the war, which resulted in a minimum of 300,000 casualties and over a million adult males fleeing abroad to avoid military service.
Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior researcher at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, told AFP, “The Russian government sees the abortion ban as a means for national survival,” and “The Kremlin argues that abortion itself is a Western plot to undermine Russia’s population capacity.”
President Putin has publicly stated that he opposes abortion and emphasizes the need for more children. Last month, Putin stated at a Russian national convention, “Many of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers had seven, eight, or even more children,” and “Let us preserve and revive these excellent traditions.”
Abortion Regulation Winds Blowing in the U.S.… Controversy Spreads
Such abortion regulations are spreading not only in Russia but also in the United States and some European countries, along with claims from right-wing forces trying to curb the trend of low birth rates. In particular, the U.S. Supreme Court, which abolished abortion rights last year, is considering regulating the sale of abortion drugs, causing controversy.
According to CNN, the U.S. Supreme Court announced on the 13th that it would review the issue of selling abortion pills. Earlier, the 5th Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Louisiana, ruled in August to limit the use of mifepristone, used for abortion, from ‘within ten weeks of pregnancy’ to ‘within seven weeks,’ and banned remote prescriptions and mail delivery.
Mifepristone, an oral abortion drug usually taken alongside misoprostol, accounts for roughly half of the estimated abortions in the United States. Since its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000, mifepristone has been consistently acknowledged for its safety. It can be prescribed without needing an in-person consultation with a doctor.
The ruling by the appellate court was the result of a review following the federal government’s appeal against a ruling by a federal district court in Texas in April to cancel the FDA’s approval of mifepristone. The U.S. Department of Justice and drug manufacturer Danco Laboratories appealed against this, taking the matter to the Supreme Court, which accepted it. The Supreme Court is expected to start the review soon, and the ruling will come out by the end of June next year, amid the presidential election.
South Korea, where the Abortion Law was Abolished in 2019… Uncertain Follow-up Legislation
South Korea, which abolished its abortion law in 2019, continues to grapple with ongoing abortion controversies. Despite the law being struck down as unconstitutional, the country has yet to establish any follow-up legislation.
Previously, on April 11, 2019, the Constitutional Court ruled the abortion law unconstitutional and demanded the revision of related laws, such as the Criminal Law and the Mother and Child Health Law, by December 31, 2020. Following this ruling, the abortion law was automatically abolished on January 1, 2021, yet replacement legislation remains uncertain. A proposal to revise the Mother and Child Health Law, ensuring the right to terminate pregnancy and including the approval of abortion-inducing drugs, reached the National Assembly, but significant progress has yet to occur.
Before the abolition of the abortion law, Article 14 of the Mother and Child Health Law allowed abortions only in limited scenarios: when parents have eugenic and genetic mental or physical diseases, infectious diseases, in cases of rape or quasi-rape, and pregnancies between relatives. Health insurance covers these situations. With this issue deeply connected to women’s health, there’s an increasing demand, particularly from women, for swift legislative action.
By. Hyunwoo Lee
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