Russia passed a controversial legislation banning "Western propaganda" of choosing not to have children on Tuesday (Nov 12).&nbsp;

Calling the decision of not having children a "Western liberal idea", members of Russian parliament&nbsp;Duma&nbsp;passed the third and final draft of the legislation.&nbsp;

The ban comes as an effort of Moscow to reverse the demographic slump in the country accentuated by its military offensive on Ukraine. Russia is currently facing an ageing population and low birth rates that are a threat to its economic future.

The bill would apply to materials online, in media, advertising and in films that promote "rejection of childbearing," according to a report by news agency AFP.&nbsp;

Calling the advertisements on birth control "destructive content," MPs in the parliament said the bill targets "propaganda" that promotes a "conscious" rejection of having children.

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The bill's authors have said it will not be used as punishment for "a personal choice or lifestyle" but only for promoting such a lifestyle, although it is unclear how they would be differentiating between the two in practice.

Violations would be punishable by fines of up to 400,000 rubles ($4,000) for individuals and up to five million rubles for businesses. The bill also includes a provision to deport foreigners found guilty of disseminating the banned information.

"This is a fateful law. Without children, there will be no country. This ideology will lead to people stopping giving birth to children," said Duma's Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, as quoted by AFP.&nbsp;

The legislation was about "protecting citizens, primarily the generation growing up, from information spread in the media space that negatively affects the development of personality," said Volodin.&nbsp;

This is "so new generations of our citizens grow up orientated towards traditional family values", he added.

Nina Ostanina, a Communist Party MP who heads the Duma committee on family policy, said the bill aims to "guard our youth from unnecessary ideologies".

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The legislation will now be considered by the upper house of parliament on November 20, before being sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to sign it into law.

This comes on top of Russia’s existing bans on "propaganda" of LGBTQ+ relationships or changing gender.

<h2>Russia's Other Bans&nbsp;</h2>

The Duma also unanimously passed legislation in the third reading banning foreigners living in countries that allow gender reassignment from adopting Russian children.

The bill is aimed at stopping Russian children from being able to legally change gender.

Moscow has long portrayed itself as a bulwark against liberal values, but that trend has hugely accelerated since the Kremlin launched its Ukraine offensive, further rupturing ties with the West.

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The bill would ban adoption by citizens of countries that authorise "the change of sex by medical intervention, including with the use of medicine", or allow individuals to change their gender on official identity documents.

(With inputs from agencies)

Russia passed a controversial legislation banning "Western propaganda" of choosing not to have children on Tuesday (Nov 12). Calling the decision of not having children a "Western liberal idea", members of Russian parliament Duma passed the third and final draft of the legislation.

Russia passed a controversial legislation banning "Western propaganda" of choosing not to have children on Tuesday (Nov 12). Calling the decision of not having children a "Western liberal idea", members of Russian parliament Duma passed the third and final draft of the legislation. The ban comes as an effort of Moscow to reverse the demographic slump in the country accentuated by its military offensive on Ukraine. Russia is currently facing an ageing population and low birth rates that are a threat to its economic future. The bill would apply to materials online, in media, advertising and in films that promote "rejection of childbearing," according to a report by news agency AFP. Calling the advertisements on birth control "destructive content," MPs in the parliament said the bill targets "propaganda" that promotes a "conscious" rejection of having children. Also read | US 'incredibly concerned' by North Korea troops in Russia, confirms 10,000 soldiers have joined Ukraine war The bill's authors have said it will not be used as punishment for "a personal choice or lifestyle" but only for promoting such a lifestyle, although it is unclear how they would be differentiating between the two in practice. Violations would be punishable by fines of up to 400,000 rubles ($4,000) for individuals and up to five million rubles for businesses. The bill also includes a provision to deport foreigners found guilty of disseminating the banned information. "This is a fateful law. Without children, there will be no country. This ideology will lead to people stopping giving birth to children," said Duma's Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, as quoted by AFP. The legislation was about "protecting citizens, primarily the generation growing up, from information spread in the media space that negatively affects the development of personality," said Volodin. This is "so new generations of our citizens grow up orientated towards traditional family values", he added. Nina Ostanina, a Communist Party MP who heads the Duma committee on family policy, said the bill aims to "guard our youth from unnecessary ideologies". Also read | Israel's Gaza aid efforts in 'right direction,' says US, but urges further action The legislation will now be considered by the upper house of parliament on November 20, before being sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to sign it into law. This comes on top of Russia’s existing bans on "propaganda" of LGBTQ+ relationships or changing gender. Russia's Other Bans The Duma also unanimously passed legislation in the third reading banning foreigners living in countries that allow gender reassignment from adopting Russian children. The bill is aimed at stopping Russian children from being able to legally change gender. Moscow has long portrayed itself as a bulwark against liberal values, but that trend has hugely accelerated since the Kremlin launched its Ukraine offensive, further rupturing ties with the West. Also read | Fox News host & Israel supporter Pete Hegseth to be Defence Secretary in Trump's second term The bill would ban adoption by citizens of countries that authorise "the change of sex by medical intervention, including with the use of medicine", or allow individuals to change their gender on official identity documents. (With inputs from agencies)

Russia bans 'Western propaganda' of childless lifestyle, violation would cost $4,000

London, United Kingdom: &nbsp;Andrea Leadsom, one of two candidates to be the next British prime minister, has caused an uproar by suggesting that being a mother means she has a greater stake in the country&#39;s future than her childless rival Theresa May. 
 
A little-known junior energy minister until she emerged as one of the most ardent voices in the campaign to leave the European Union, Leadsom is the outsider in the contest to succeed David Cameron as Conservative leader and prime minister. 
 
Cameron, who had campaigned for Britain to stay in the bloc, announced he would quit after the June 23 referendum delivered a vote for Brexit. May, the interior minister who also advocated remaining in the EU, is the favourite to replace him. 
 
&quot;I am sure she will be really sad she doesn&#39;t have children so I don&#39;t want this to be &#39;Andrea has children, Theresa hasn&#39;t&#39; because I think that would be really horrible,&quot; Leadsom told the Times newspaper, which has declared its support for May. 
 
&quot;But genuinely I feel being a mum means you have a very real stake in the future of our country, a tangible stake. She possibly has nieces, nephews, lots of people. But I have children who are going to have children who will directly be a part of what happens next.&quot; 
 
Leadsom denounced the Times article on Twitter as &quot;gutter journalism&quot; and on Saturday made a televised statement outside her home to say she had made clear that the issue of her motherhood should not be a feature of the campaign. 
 
&quot;I want to be crystal clear that everyone has an equal stake in our society and in the future of our country,&quot; she said. 
 
The Times stood by its story and released an audio recording of Leadsom making the comments, which was played on Saturday morning news bulletins on all the main radio and TV stations. 
 
May made no comment on Leadsom&#39;s interview, merely tweeting: &quot;Yesterday, I launched my clean campaign pledge and invite @AndreaLeadsom to join me in signing it.&quot; 
 
That was a reference to five commitments May made on Friday, including to ensure that campaigning &quot;stays within the acceptable limits of political debate&quot;. 
 
&quot;VILE&quot; 
 
May and Leadsom were selected by Conservative lawmakers from an original field of five candidates. May was backed by 199 lawmakers, while Leadsom received support from 84. The contest now moves to the party&#39;s 150,000 grassroots members, who will elect the winner by Sept. 9. 
 
The comments made in the Times by Leadsom, a devout Christian who wants to swiftly launch the legal process of exiting the EU and end freedom of movement rights if elected, drew sharp criticism from several Conservative lawmakers. 
 
&quot;I am childless. I have nieces and nephews. I believe I - like everyone else - have a very real stake in our country,&quot; tweeted Ruth Davidson, leader of the party&#39;s Scottish arm, who had previously declared her support for May in the contest. 
 
Lawmaker Alan Duncan, also a May supporter, called Leadsom&#39;s comments &quot;vile&quot;, while colleague Antoinette Sandbach said Leadsom had shown &quot;a lack of judgment&quot;. 
 
Leadsom&#39;s bid, which has enthused some of the more staunchly eurosceptic people on the right of the party, had already been marred by questions over whether she had overstated her professional experience in finance. 
 
One of Leadsom&#39;s most vocal supporters, junior defence minister Penny Mordaunt, defended her comments on motherhood. 
 
&quot;She was talking about what motivates her personally,&quot; Mordaunt told BBC radio. &quot;This is an attempt I think by a paper that has declared for the other candidate to smear Andrea.&quot; 
 
In an interview with the Mail on Sunday newspaper last week, May had spoken of the sadness she and her husband Philip had experienced after being unable to have children. 
 
&quot;Of course we were both affected by it. You see friends who now have grown-up children, but you accept the hand that life deals you,&quot; she said.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

London, United Kingdom: Andrea Leadsom, one of two candidates to be the next British prime minister, has caused an uproar by suggesting that being a mother means she has a greater stake in the country's future than her childless rival Theresa May. A little-known junior energy minister until she emerged as one of the most ardent voices in the campaign to leave the European Union, Leadsom is the outsider in the contest to succeed David Cameron as Conservative leader and prime minister. Cameron, who had campaigned for Britain to stay in the bloc, announced he would quit after the June 23 referendum delivered a vote for Brexit. May, the interior minister who also advocated remaining in the EU, is the favourite to replace him. "I am sure she will be really sad she doesn't have children so I don't want this to be 'Andrea has children, Theresa hasn't' because I think that would be really horrible," Leadsom told the Times newspaper, which has declared its support for May. "But genuinely I feel being a mum means you have a very real stake in the future of our country, a tangible stake. She possibly has nieces, nephews, lots of people. But I have children who are going to have children who will directly be a part of what happens next." Leadsom denounced the Times article on Twitter as "gutter journalism" and on Saturday made a televised statement outside her home to say she had made clear that the issue of her motherhood should not be a feature of the campaign. "I want to be crystal clear that everyone has an equal stake in our society and in the future of our country," she said. The Times stood by its story and released an audio recording of Leadsom making the comments, which was played on Saturday morning news bulletins on all the main radio and TV stations. May made no comment on Leadsom's interview, merely tweeting: "Yesterday, I launched my clean campaign pledge and invite @AndreaLeadsom to join me in signing it." That was a reference to five commitments May made on Friday, including to ensure that campaigning "stays within the acceptable limits of political debate". "VILE" May and Leadsom were selected by Conservative lawmakers from an original field of five candidates. May was backed by 199 lawmakers, while Leadsom received support from 84. The contest now moves to the party's 150,000 grassroots members, who will elect the winner by Sept. 9. The comments made in the Times by Leadsom, a devout Christian who wants to swiftly launch the legal process of exiting the EU and end freedom of movement rights if elected, drew sharp criticism from several Conservative lawmakers. "I am childless. I have nieces and nephews. I believe I - like everyone else - have a very real stake in our country," tweeted Ruth Davidson, leader of the party's Scottish arm, who had previously declared her support for May in the contest. Lawmaker Alan Duncan, also a May supporter, called Leadsom's comments "vile", while colleague Antoinette Sandbach said Leadsom had shown "a lack of judgment". Leadsom's bid, which has enthused some of the more staunchly eurosceptic people on the right of the party, had already been marred by questions over whether she had overstated her professional experience in finance. One of Leadsom's most vocal supporters, junior defence minister Penny Mordaunt, defended her comments on motherhood. "She was talking about what motivates her personally," Mordaunt told BBC radio. "This is an attempt I think by a paper that has declared for the other candidate to smear Andrea." In an interview with the Mail on Sunday newspaper last week, May had spoken of the sadness she and her husband Philip had experienced after being unable to have children. "Of course we were both affected by it. You see friends who now have grown-up children, but you accept the hand that life deals you," she said. (Reuters)

Britain PM contender Leadsom says she has greater stake in country because she is a mother, causes uproar

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