In Chuvashia, a region in central Russia, authorities plan to assign a priest and a mercy sister to each women's clinic in the cities of Cheboksary and Novocheboksarsk to work with women who come for abortion referrals, according to the independent outlet Verstka, citing the Orthodox Center for Maternity Protection 'Pokrov'.
The initiative comes from the regional Health Ministry and has been blessed by Metropolitan Savvaty of Cheboksary and Chuvashia. Mikhail Pavlov, head of the diocesan department for church charity and coordinator of mercy sisters, indirectly confirmed the project's launch but declined to comment in detail, suggesting revisiting the topic in one or two months.
The 'spiritual care' of pregnant women will be provided by priests and mercy sisters—Orthodox helpers in medicine without medical training. Mercy sister training courses have operated in Chuvashia for years with the support of the metropolis.
Chuvashia becomes the second Russian region to officially assign clergy to women's clinics. The first was Saratov Oblast in 2025, where Metropolitan Ignatius attached one responsible priest to 17 women's clinics and two perinatal centers.
Russia has no legal ban on abortions, but authorities are running a campaign to restrict women's access to them. Several regions have passed laws banning abortion coercion, and some have effectively banned abortions in private clinics. According to official data, more than 700 private clinics nationwide have voluntarily given up their abortion licenses.