Abortion license revocation in districts: doctor details Transbaikalia outcome

The number of abortions in Transbaikalia dropped in 2025 for the first time in years, but officials await data on whether women simply switched to private clinics after district hospitals revoked their licenses.
Jan 31, 2026
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Transbaikalia reports an initial decline in abortion numbers following policy changes at district hospitals.
Source:
Mikhail Ognev / FONTANKA.RU

In 2025, the number of abortions in Zabaikalsky Krai (Transbaikalia) decreased for the first time in many years. However, statistics from Roszdravnadzor (the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare) will later show to what extent this was influenced by the revocation of pregnancy termination licenses from district hospitals—doctors want to be sure women have not switched en masse to private clinics. This was discussed on January 21 at the Civil Forum in Chita by Olga Broom, the chief freelance specialist in obstetrics and gynecology for the regional Ministry of Health.

Source:
Darya Klivenkova / CHITA.RU

District hospitals in the region massively revoked their licenses for providing artificial pregnancy termination services in the fall. Over 11 months of 2025, 2,104 abortions were performed in Zabaikalsky Krai, with more than half—1,201—conducted in medical organizations in Chita.

«What are we doing to reduce the number of abortions? Medical organizations in the districts of Zabaikalsky Krai have refused their licenses for pregnancy termination. At first we thought there would be some kind of social explosion, but nevertheless, over four months we see from the reports, for the first time in many years, a decrease in the number of abortions and an absence of criminal ones. They are, of course, going to private clinics. Roszdravnadzor will provide us with information on how many abortions occurred in private clinics. Every year we had a 50-50 situation: half in public clinics, half in private. We will see and clearly understand how effective this measure was. Or perhaps we have somehow reduced accessibility, and they have gone to the private sector,» said Broom.

She explained that the annual statistics include all pregnancy terminations, not only those at the woman«s request: »This includes spontaneous miscarriages at various terms up to 22 weeks. The absolute number of abortions in Zabaikalsky Krai has decreased. For the first time, the rate per 1,000 women of fertile age has also decreased.«

Also, according to the doctor, the ratio of those who applied for a referral for an abortion and those who refused to terminate the pregnancy corresponds to the federal indicator of 16%. In 2026, the indicator will be 22%, and by 2030 it will increase to 30%.

The law prohibiting the inducement to artificial termination of pregnancy in Zabaikalsky Krai came into force in March 2024. For citizens, the fine is set at 3,000 to 5,000 rubles (approximately $33–56 at current rates); for officials—10,000 to 20,000 rubles (approximately $111–222); for legal entities—30,000 to 59,000 rubles (approximately $333–656).

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