Russian lawmakers today passed a first reading law that bans the promotion of life without children, reported France Press, quoted by BTA.
The parliamentary vote comes as Russia faces a demographic crisis exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine. The legislative act reflects the Kremlin's efforts to protect traditional values.
The normative act was adopted in the first reading unanimously by the deputies and the vote was broadcast live. The second and third reading of the bill is to be voted on.
The law proposes a ban on the promotion of a conscious life without children or the so-called **„movement of child-free people”** – those who choose not to have children for personal, economic or environmental reasons.
„The strong family has been declared a traditional value” in Russia in 2022, it is emphasized in the notes to the bill. The authors of the text are Valentina Matvienko, the chairperson of the Federation Council, and Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairperson of the State Duma.
„One of the threats to traditional values is the promotion in Russian society of the ideology of life without children, which leads to the decline of social institutions and creates conditions for depopulation”, the authors of the law add.
They point out that there are communities and groups on the Internet that promote this lifestyle and show aggressive behavior towards those who want to have children. This explains the need for a mechanism to protect traditional values.
The bill prohibits the promotion of a conscious child-free life on the Internet, the media, films and advertisements. Violators will be fined from 400,000 rubles (about 4,000 euros) to 5 million rubles (about 47,000 euros).
„There should be no propaganda that puts pressure on women when making a decision to give birth to children. A similar thing is happening in the USA and Europe, Volodin said today in Telegram. after the first reading vote.
Since coming to power in 2000, Vladimir Putin has made it a priority to stem Russia's demographic crisis inherited from the Soviet era. However, despite his efforts, this priority has not yet been achieved. In July, the Kremlin acknowledged a “catastrophic situation for the future of the nation”, with losses on the Ukraine front from 2022 only accelerating this trend, notes AFP.