Reuters examines reproductive health issues in Russia

Reuters examines abortion, contraception and sex education in Russia, where, "[t]wo decades after the Soviet Union's collapse, wider availability of contraception and a resurgence of religion have reduced the numbers of abortions overall, but termination remains the top method of birth control in Russia."

The article describes an amendment proposal to Russia's health law that "would cap abortions at 12 weeks, impose a waiting period of up to one week from initial consultations and require women over six weeks pregnant to see the embryo on ultrasound, hear its heartbeat and have counseling to determine how to proceed"; women's rights groups that oppose the proposed amendment, which is likely to pass, and their efforts to instead promote sex education and contraception; and the nation's "population decline caused by low birth rates combined with very high death rates" (de Carbonnel, 11/8).