Russia Enacts Law Banning ‘Rejection of Childbearing,’ Calls It ‘Western Propaganda’ Amid Declining Population

Russia has enacted a new law banning the promotion of choosing not to have children, labeling it as “Western propaganda.” Russia has been concerned with its declining population. It has taken bold steps to prevent birth decline, including establishing a ministry of sex.

In Duma, Russian lawmakers passed the bill on November 12. This legislation is part of a broader attempt to counteract Russia’s demography, which officials say has been worsened by its ongoing military operations in Ukraine.

The bill awaits review by Russia’s upper house on November 20, after which it will be sent to President Vladimir Putin for approval.

The bill, which passed its third and final reading in the Duma, applies to online content, media, advertising, and films that promote the “rejection of childbearing.” According to reports, advertisements for birth control are also targeted as “destructive content.” Lawmakers assert that the law is intended to protect younger generations from messages that discourage family life and traditional values.

MPs have stated that the law will not penalize individuals for making personal choices but will instead focus on those promoting a child-free lifestyle. However, some have questioned how authorities would distinguish between personal choices and public promotion of such views.

The legislation prescribes fines of up to 400,000 rubles (approximately $4,000) for individuals and up to five million rubles for businesses found guilty of violating the law. Foreigners who are found guilty could face deportation.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Duma, called the legislation “a fateful law,” emphasizing that “without children, there will be no country.” He also noted that the legislation aims to “protect citizens, especially the younger generation, from media content that could harm the development of their personalities.”

Nina Ostanina, an MP from the Communist Party and head of the Duma’s Family Policy Committee, echoed Volodin’s sentiments. She stated that the bill is designed to “shield our youth from unnecessary ideologies.”

In addition to outlawing advertising of a childless lifestyle, Russian lawmakers passed a law that limits foreign adoptions of Russian children by citizens of countries permitting gender reassignment. An adoption bill purporting to preserve “traditional values” not only blocks adoption by citizens of countries that allow gender reassignment but also medical procedures that change personal identity.

Since 1993, more than 100,000 Russian children have been adopted by international citizens. However in 2012, Russia forbade US adoptions after a Russian child died in an American adoptive family.

This is the third legislative act that has already restricted the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and has banned the process of gender reassignment, practices considered part of Russia’s stance against so-called “Western liberal values.” Since its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has also increased its distance from those Western principles, which it claims to be a safeguard of traditional values.

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