High school students in Russia’s Far East were shown a graphic video of a medical abortion video during an unannounced lecture, the Telegram news channel Ostorozhno Novosti reported Friday.
“Many felt sick while watching,” the outlet wrote, citing students from school No. 7 in the Sakhalin region town of Okha, around 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) east of Moscow.
A video accompanying the report showed students turning away in the school auditorium as the footage played on a large screen. According to Ostorozhno Novosti, students were told to “turn away” if they felt uncomfortable watching the close-up procedure.
“They showed a documentary about how many abortions happen every hour and every minute in Russia. They said you shouldn’t have an abortion because it could be fatal or cause infertility,” an anonymous eyewitness told the outlet.
The Sakhalin regional Health Ministry said it had not approved the showing of the abortion video and said it would look into the incident.
“Appropriate administrative measures will be taken following the results of the inspection,” the ministry was quoted as saying by Ostorozhno Novosti.
This incident comes as regions across Russia gradually outlaw “coercing” women into having an abortion, and federal lawmakers are considering a ban on “childfree” advocacy.
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