The lower house of parliament in Russia has approved a bill that criminalizes the dissemination of information that encourages people to not have children. The new legislation, which still needs final approval from President Vladimir Putin, would impose fines of up to five million roubles for propagating voluntary childlessness. Supporters of the bill argue that these efforts are part of a broader Western agenda to weaken Russia by reducing its population.
Russian officials, including Putin, have been advocating for traditional values and larger families as the country’s population declines. Putin has gone as far as to urge women to have up to eight children. The recent legislation is seen as another step in tightening control over society, along with previous bans on LGBTQ information distribution and extremist groups.
While some Russians support the bill, viewing it as a way to combat what they see as a disease or pathology, women’s rights activists argue that the root cause of declining birth rates is economic factors, not information discouraging childbirth. They believe that lawmakers are focusing on the wrong issues.
The bill is part of a larger trend of restrictive laws and crackdowns on dissent in Russia. Critics see it as a way for the Kremlin to maintain control over the population and suppress ideas that go against the government’s narrative. The legislation still needs to go through two more readings before it can become law.
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