The White Coats initiative studied the teaching and methodological manual “Family Pre-Abortion Counseling” and concluded that it constitutes guidance on psychological abuse of a person in a vulnerable position.
Belarusian law provides women with the right to abortion, but also contains vague wording on pre-abortion psychological counseling.
“A woman seeking an artificial termination of pregnancy has the right to identify family members who may receive pre-abortion psychological counseling. Pre-abortion psychological counseling is conducted in compliance with the requirements of legislation governing the provision of psychological assistance,” Article 27 of the Law “On Healthcare” states. At the same time, the law does not mention the possibility of refusing such counseling.
“Even Belarusian lawyers themselves note that these rules are very unclear,” White Coats writes.
In 2019, Dzyyana Berahautsova, a Candidate of Legal Sciences and associate professor at the Department of Theory and History of State and Law at Brest State University, said that counseling was mandatory before an abortion in some regions of Belarus but not in others. In Barysau, for example, a psychologist at the perinatal center involves a doctor and a priest in conversations with women.
“It is not entirely clear how this is consistent with the principles of a secular state, which Belarus is, and where everyone has the right to profess any religion or no religion at all. Moreover, we believe that the above provision of the Law ‘On Healthcare’ gives a woman the right to receive pre-abortion psychological counseling, rather than imposing an obligation to undergo such counseling,” Berahautsova noted.
The teaching and methodological manual “Family Pre-Abortion Counseling” contains instructions for psychologists on how to persuade a woman not to have an abortion. The manual includes a table with counterarguments to possible arguments a woman may give in favor of an abortion.
For example, if a woman is experiencing financial difficulties, the psychologist is instructed to change the woman’s attitude toward the value of the child’s life, show her what state resources are available, and explain that a child “does not require significant financial expenditure.” If a woman is concerned about her career, the psychologist is instructed to explain that “professional self-realization provides only a temporary sense of self-sufficiency, while the value of motherhood is higher.”
“In essence, what we see before us is a detailed manual on psychological abuse of a person in a vulnerable position,” the White Coats initiative concludes.
