Overview
- The Health Ministry’s late‑February directive, now public, updates reproductive‑health screening to advise clinicians to suggest counseling to women aged 18–49 who report they do not want children.
- In the women’s questionnaire, selecting “none” to “How many children would you like to have, including those already born?” prompts a recommendation for referral to a clinical psychologist.
- The guidance does not extend to men, whose checkups focus on physical health; the male form is shorter and includes no comparable psychological referral.
- Attendance at any recommended consultation is voluntary and the document establishes no penalties for declining.
- Authorities describe the step as part of efforts to deter abortions and raise births as fertility stands near 1.4 per woman and Rosstat projects about 138.77 million people by 2046, alongside tighter abortion rules, pro‑family campaigns and financial incentives.