MOSCOW, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Russia's government passed new crackdowns on abortion and other medical procedures, including a ban on practitioners advertising the procedure, officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the effort is the country's latest to boost stagnant birth rates, a problem dating back to the Soviet era when women regularly had abortions as a means of birth control, RIA Novosti reported Monday.
The new law also raises the age at which minors do not need parental consent for medical exams from 14 to 15 and the age for parental consent for treatment of drug addiction from 16 to 18.
In 2011, the Russian government outlawed abortions past the 12-week mark of a pregnancy, except in cases of a health risk or rape. All abortions are banned after 22 weeks.
