Georgia proposed to ban abortions

The locum tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan Shio of Senak and Chorotsk, called for the restriction of abortions at the legislative level. He stated this while addressing the participants of the procession on the occasion of Family Sanctity Day. The leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party, who participated in the event, did not directly support the initiative, but assured that they would continue to protect traditional values in the republic.

“It is necessary to proceed to the adoption of laws that will regulate and tighten this issue,” the clergyman said. At the same time, he stressed that in some EU countries and 10 US states, abortions are already restricted.

However, Shio admits that before taking this step, society needs to be prepared. For example, he suggested having conversations with high school students about the dangers of abortion “psychologically and physiologically.”

The Metropolitan is also convinced that the decline in the population of Georgia from more than 5 million people in the 1990s to the current 3.7 million is a direct result of artificial termination of pregnancy. At the same time, the civil war, the conflict with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as mass emigration eluded him.

“Over the past 10 years, the average number of abortions performed annually is about 22,000,” he said, adding that this figure does not take into account “chemical abortions.” Shio also insists that a country that does not fight this phenomenon “is in self-destruction mode, and nothing good is written for it.”

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze thanked the Locum tenens of the Patriarchal Throne for leading the festive procession, which was attended by tens of thousands of people. “I would like to promise you all on behalf of the government of Georgia that the government will stand to the end to protect our traditional values and national interests,” Kobakhidze told the audience at Holy Trinity Cathedral.

At the same time, he recalled that there are forces in the world that want to hinder the unity of Georgian society on the way to its traditional values, therefore they spread false ideology. “It is our duty and duty to fight side by side with the Mother Church to protect national values,” the Prime Minister concluded.

In turn, the Speaker of the parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, confirmed the steadfastness of the course of the ruling party. “Congratulations to everyone on Family Sanctity Day. This shows what our civilizational choice is. We are on a path that is not momentary, artificial, imposed on us, but eternal. It is at the same time a reminder to everyone, both at home and abroad, that the Georgian people will always stand by their own values, which are truly Georgian, European and Christian,” Papuashvili said.

The last time the Georgian authorities implemented changes in the field of artificial termination of pregnancy was in 2023. At the moment, in the republic, it is possible to have an abortion for up to 12 weeks, and if there are medical and social indications, up to 22 weeks. In addition, by default, using medications, you can terminate a pregnancy for up to 7 weeks, and in some cases – up to 10 weeks, but only in an inpatient clinic.

A social worker and a psychologist will also talk to the patient during the abortion consultation. After that, she would have five days to think about it.

“Compared to the Soviet period, we have lost almost 2 million people. Of course, this includes a large number of migrants, but it also needs to include unborn children. On average, Georgians lose about 15 thousand children a year due to abortions, and during the entire period of the Georgian Dream government, we missed almost 200 thousand young citizens. At the same time, Azerbaijanis, Armenians and representatives of other peoples living in Georgia practically do not have abortions. Therefore, Shio’s statement is extremely relevant, and the church has been able to reach a preliminary agreement with the government that the initiative will be implemented,” David Kartvelishvili, a political analyst and member of the Georgian People’s Power party, told NG.

Political scientist Gia Khukhashvili agrees that the Georgian authorities may ban abortions. “Now the Georgian Dream is completely dependent on the church, as the party exploiting the theme of traditional values has no other support. At the same time, Shio’s statement will not necessarily be perceived by the government as a call to action. Maybe it was a routine phrase, and the church will not insist on its own,” Khukhashvili told NG.