Moscow, Russia

Russia passed a controversial legislation banning "Western propaganda" of choosing not to have children on Tuesday (Nov 12). 

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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. 

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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.

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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".

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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.

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.

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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)