Russian lawmakers on Tuesday began considering a bill banning the promotion of childless living, against the backdrop of a demographic crisis, amplified by the conflict in Ukraine, and the ultraconservative turn taken by the Kremlin.
The defense of so-called “traditional” values is a hobby horse of President Vladimir Putin, who never ceases to denounce Western “decadence.” Russia is already repressing the rights of LGBT+ communities in this regard.
Now the political class wants to ban the movement’s “propaganda” childfree “, a term used for people who voluntarily choose not to have children, for personal, economic or environmental reasons in particular.
“It is proposed to ban the propaganda of childlessness: on the Internet, in the media, in films and in advertisements,” Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Duma (lower house), said on Telegram before the discussion of the text in committee on Tuesday.
“A warm and large family is the basis of a strong state,” insisted this official close to Mr. Putin.
According to Volodin, an individual faces a fine of 400,000 rubles (about $6,000), officials double that, while for legal entities the penalty can be increased to 5 million rubles (about $73,000).
None of these officials raised the issue of contraception and the text has not yet been made public.
Elvira Aitkoulova, a member of parliament who co-wrote the proposal, assured on Monday that the ideas defended by the supporters of the movement ” childfree » represented “destructive behavior” that could lead to the “depopulation” of Russia.
“This movement does not correspond to the current expectations of women,” said Valentina Matvienko, the speaker of the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, calling for it to be “legally banned.”
A few days ago, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov swore that “everything that needs to be done to increase the birth rate must be done. And everything that prevents this must, of course, disappear from our lives.”
“Ungodly people”
In downtown Moscow, Abdullah Shamkhalov, a 49-year-old businessman, said he was “in favor” of the proposed law.
“Let people get married, have children!” he urged AFP. “It’s the most important thing in life,” he continued, describing as “sects, impious people” those who choose not to have children.
Conversely, Victoria, a 47-year-old psychotherapist, believes that such legislation is “not relevant”. “I think there are more important things to deal with” at the moment, assures this mother of two children.
An opinion shared by Anastassia, a 22-year-old student, who says she has “never witnessed propaganda” in favour of a child-free lifestyle.
Whether or not to have children is “a personal choice. It’s about your body and your personal life,” she argues.
Since arriving at the Kremlin in 2000, Mr Putin has made it a priority to stem Russia’s demographic crisis, inherited from the Soviet era, but has never succeeded.
The pro-natalist measures did not have the expected effects, with the Kremlin recognising in July a situation that was “catastrophic for the future of the nation”.
Losses on the front in Ukraine since 2022 have only accentuated this trend.
The authorities defend their conservative line on social issues, seeing it as an extension of the fight against Westerners.
The Supreme Court banned the “international LGBTQ+ movement” in late 2023 for “extremism,” a vague formulation that opens the door to harsh prison sentences.
This week the Duma is also due to consider a text banning the adoption of Russian children by nationals of countries that allow gender transition.