MOSCOW, October 17. /TASS/. The State Duma, at its plenary session, has adopted in the first reading a draft law introducing administrative penalties for spreading propaganda that it is better not to have any children (the Childfree movement).
The bill was submitted to the State Duma in September by a group of lawmakers and senators, led by the speakers of both houses of parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin and Valentina Matviyenko. It includes an initiative to ban public propaganda advocating a childfree lifestyle. The proposed amendments are to be added to the Russian Administrative Offenses Code.
According to the draft law, anyone who spreads propaganda saying having no children is preferable is subject to sanctions established by the law on propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations and (or) preferences, as well as gender reassignment. Thus, citizens face a fine of up to 100,000 rubles ($1,000), officials - up to 200,000 rubles ($2,000), legal entities - up to 1 mln rubles ($10,000) or administrative suspension of activities for up to 90 days. If such propaganda is spread to minors, the fines could be doubled. For putting out childfree propaganda in the media or on the Internet, the fine for citizens can reach 200,000 rubles ($2,000), for officials - up to 400,000 rubles ($4,000), for legal entities - up to $4 million rubles ($41,000).
The biggest fine is 5 million rubles ($51,000), which would be imposed on legal entities who promote childfree to minors using the Internet or mass media. For the same offense, citizens face a fine of up to 400,000 rubles ($4,000), officials - up to 800,000 rubles ($8,000).
The proposed legislation extends existing sanctions to foreign nationals who promote the childfree movement. They could face fines of up to 100,000 rubles ($1,000) and even deportation from Russia, or up to 15 days of detention followed by expulsion. If the propaganda targets minors or is spread via the Internet and mass media, the fine could increase to 200,000 rubles ($2,000), with expulsion still enforced. In cases where both minors and the Internet are involved, the fine could reach 400,000 rubles ($4,000), along with expulsion.
"I emphasize that this pertains specifically to the prohibition of propaganda promoting the childfree lifestyle. The decision whether or not to have children is up to the woman. She can decide whom to consult on this matter. But there should be no propaganda pressuring a woman in her decision to have children. That's what is happening now in the US and Europe," Volodin wrote on his Telegram channel following the adoption of the bill in its first reading. He highlighted that 388 Duma members voted in favor of the initiative. "We continue to build a unified legal framework for the protection of children, family, and traditional values. It is important to safeguard people, especially the younger generation, from the imposition of this ideology against having children through the Internet, media, films, and advertising," Volodin added.
The proposed document seeks to amend the law on information, information technologies, and information protection by stating that the dissemination of propaganda promoting not having children will be grounds for inclusion of a website in Russia's telecom watchdog's unified register of prohibited materials. Social network owners will be required to monitor their platforms to identify such propaganda.
The law "On Protection of Children from Information Harmful to their Health and Development" will be updated to include content promoting choosing not to have babies as prohibited information for dissemination among children. Additionally, amendments to the law "On Basic Guarantees of the Rights of the Child in the Russian Federation" will oblige government authorities to take measures to protect children from such messaging.
The law "On Mass Media" will also be revised to prohibit the use of mass media for disseminating materials that advocate going childfree. Furthermore, the bill stipulates that advertising must not contain information promoting the childfree ideology. Under the proposed amendments to the law "On State Support for the Cinematography of the Russian Federation," propaganda about choosing not to have children in films would become grounds for denying the film from being released.