Russian authorities are increasingly restricting access to safe abortion care and limiting women’s and girls’ ability to obtain accurate information about reproductive choices. These measures, justified under a push for “traditional values” and higher birth rates, jeopardize health, violate the right to life and bodily autonomy, and undermine women’s human rights. Human Rights Watch has documented growing obstacles to abortion care, including stricter licensing requirements for clinics, reclassification of abortion drugs as controlled substances, mandatory counseling sessions, and pressure from clergy and local authorities to continue pregnancies.
Since 2023, over 200 clinics across Russia have lost their licenses to provide abortion care, and many others have voluntarily stopped offering services under government and regional pressure. In some regions, such as Crimea, Vologda, and Nizhny Novgorod, women now face extremely limited access to abortion and must travel long distances, creating severe barriers for low-income, rural, and marginalized populations. Authorities have also introduced financial incentives for doctors to dissuade patients from terminating pregnancies and have deployed mandatory counseling designed to coerce women into continuing pregnancies, often involving clerics in clinical decision-making.
Medical abortion, which WHO recognizes as safe and effective, has become increasingly hard to access. Mifepristone and misoprostol have been reclassified as controlled substances, forcing clinics to stop providing them. Women are pressured to wait for procedural abortions or travel to distant facilities, which increases health risks and delays timely care. Adolescents face additional obstacles, including mandatory parental consent and exposure to harm if forced to disclose pregnancies to guardians.
Legal restrictions have expanded, with at least 25 regions criminalizing “incitement to abortion” and the federal government planning a national register of pregnancies. Anti-choice rhetoric, promoted by the state and the Russian Orthodox Church, has intensified, framing abortion as morally wrong and socially harmful. Women seeking abortions face fines, harassment, and reduced access to information, undermining their autonomy and right to informed medical decision-making.
These policies contravene Russia’s obligations under international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Denying access to abortion care and restricting reproductive information violates rights to health, life, privacy, bodily autonomy, and freedom from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Human Rights Watch urges Russia to align its policies with international law, protect reproductive rights, remove barriers to abortion care, and ensure that women and girls can access safe, informed, and timely reproductive health services.
