Medical students are being trained to discourage schoolgirls from terminating pregnancies.
Photos of a training manual distributed to psychiatric residents at a Russian university were published by the Telegram channel "Reproducer." The manual consists of two sections: one for conversations with women aged 18-35 and one for conversations with underage girls.
The guide is presented in tables. On the left is a woman's motivation for terminating a pregnancy, and on the right is a phrase to use to persuade her to change her mind.
"The structure is similar to sales scripts; they also usually have the client's objection on the left and the prepared solution on the right," — notes "Reproducer".
For example, what to say to a girl who is afraid to tell her parents, the baby's father, and friends about her pregnancy, who doubts her future, and is afraid of gaining weight.
"Having a child won't be a barrier to meeting your life partner. Men with serious intentions won't be deterred by having a child." — they suggest telling young girls whose argument against pregnancy is loneliness. "A child will strengthen your union. New goals will emerge, and achieving them will bring you closer together." — answer for those who are in a relationship.
The section for patients under 35 is a full complement of clichés: the clock is ticking, abortion threatens infertility, careers can be made later, and in a large family, everyone is raising each other.
NeMoscow discovered this very same manual with speech modules on the website of the Far Eastern State Medical University. It was published there back in 2023. That's when the Ministry of Health developed unified speech modules for obstetricians and gynecologists so they could counsel women "in a state of reproductive choice."