Russia considers legislation to fine people who choose not to do so

Don’t even think about it if you don’t have children. If you are Russian.

Russia’s parliament is considering legislation to ban “intentional denial of reproduction.”

State Duma lower house bill proposes fine of 400,000 rubles [$4,354 USD] For anyone engaged in “child-free advocacy,” that jumps to $8,639 if the person discussing the concept is an official, or $53,906 if the person discussing the concept is a company.

Only those who have a recognized religious faith (the Russian Orthodox Church has monks and nuns), have serious health problems, or have been raped are allowed to “refute having children.”

But even individuals who casually defend their personal choice not to have children on social media would be violating the new law.

State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin insisted that the proposed legislation was more about “traditional family values” than Russia’s declining birth rate and the mass deaths of young troops fighting the invasion of Ukraine.

“Groups and communities on social networks often show disrespect for mothers and fathers, as well as attacks on pregnant women and children, as well as extended family members,” Volodin said.

“A friendly family is the foundation of a strong country.”

The legislation targets social media posts, the internet, traditional media, films, books and advertising.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he supported the move and said Russia’s “catastrophic” birth rate was a pressing issue.

“Increasing the birth rate is one of the top priorities for the entire government and the entire country,” he said.

Lie down and think about Putin

Earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin directed the government to improve conditions so that “multiple children becomes fashionable again, as it was in the past, when there were seven to ten people in a family.”

Last week, officials announced that a new workplace key performance indicator (KPI) would be whether a female employee is pregnant.

To this end, employers are encouraged to provide regular “couples breaks” during working hours.

The Kremlin insists a massive, organized “child-free” campaign is undermining the country’s future. It points to a handful of social media chat rooms, few of which have more than 5,000 followers, as evidence of a conspiracy.

“These [moves] “Actions have been taken before against LGBTQ+ advocacy and gender reassignment,” Volodin said in a Duma speech.

The new legislation, submitted to the Russian parliament on Wednesday, is based on a 2022 law banning “LGBT propaganda”. Its enforcement effectively criminalized any public expression or appearance of a homosexual or transgender identity.

This strictness may also apply to anyone who flaunts, encourages or defends childlessness.

“Every measure must be taken to increase the birth rate. Everything that hinders this goal should disappear from our lives,” Putin’s spokesman said.

However, this does not include an end to an invasion that is believed to have caused more than 500,000 Russian soldier casualties. It is estimated that this number represents about 2% of the total male population in Russia between the ages of 20 and 50.

“Protecting Values”

“We should ban the childfree movement by law because it is a foreign project; it is a hostile project,” the chairman of the Federation Council of Russia’s upper house said during a debate on the new legislation.

“They use the most modern technologies to instill in women that they should give up motherhood,” Valentina Matvienko added.

This is just one statement in a movement that paints Western rights and gender equality movements as “enemies of freedom.”

“I call this ideology an ideology of death, destruction of families,” Valery Fadeyev, head of Russia’s Human Rights Council, said last year.

Russia banned sex reassignment surgery last year. It also ended the ability to change gender on official documents.

Now, the Duma is considering a new bill that would ban abortions in private clinics. Only state-controlled clinics are allowed to perform the procedure if the pregnancy is deemed to pose a serious threat to the mother’s life, or is the result of incest or rape.

And these can only be done within 9 weeks of conception, instead of the current 12 weeks.

Several Russian provinces have already begun enacting similar laws.

Russia’s birth rate has dropped to its lowest level since the collapse of the Soviet Union, new population data shows.

Its population actually declined last year. About 1.3 million people died. Only 1.26 million children are born to replace them.

Putin’s dictatorship, economic recession and military conscription for the invasion of Ukraine have made Russia a less attractive destination, and immigration has plummeted from 8.5 million to 6 million.

This is unlikely to change.

This week, the Russian parliament also moved to protect the “honor” of government officials.

Any public or online criticism that “disrespects the honor or dignity of a government employee’s personal or professional qualities” is punishable by up to two years in prison.