$ Childfree propaganda is a socially hazardous phenomenon.
The Americans are promoting this.
Our country is vast and their [U.S.] ideology is dangerous.
Under no situations should it be enabled to spread.
$ These were the words of Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russias lower home of parliament, as he validated proposed legislation enforcing heavy fines on what the authorities see as the destructive promotion of $ childfree ideology.
$ But specialists argue that this legislation, which is presently under review by lawmakers and passed its very first reading on Thursday, is $ repressive $ and stops working to resolve the root problems behind the country $ s flagging birth rates.
Since introducing the major invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities have actually increase their efforts to promote so-called standard values and family-oriented ideals, contrasting Russia with the more liberal West.President Vladimir Putin this year made increasing the birth rate a priority, with a particular focus on encouraging households to have at least three children and the importance of high birth rates for Russia $ s future.With the Kremlins war in Ukraine revealing no signs of ending, the matter appears to have ended up being a lot more urgent following the release of main data revealing that the birth rate has actually dropped to its most affordable level in 25 years while mortality rates continue to rise.Volodin declared the legislation is focused on suppressing $ any devastating content that may influence an individuals choice about having children $ in order to improve the birth rate.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov last month echoed this belief.
$ Increasing the birth rate is among the governments and the nations top concerns ...
Anything that hinders this must vanish from our life, $ he said.In truth, nevertheless, the circumstance is much more complex.
Critics are hesitant that the legislation will lead to greater birth rates, arguing that authorities should rather focus on creating much better conditions for delivering and raising a family.Olga, a 37-year-old Muscovite with a steady task and a partner, told The Moscow Times that financial uncertainty is her main factor for selecting not to have children.
$ What can I give this potential kid? I understand that I cant provide anything beyond a roofing over their head.
Who would take care of them while I work 15 hours a day? $ stated Olga, who asked that her name be altered for security reasons.
$ If the only thing a parent does is battle to endure and fret about feeding the kid $ which is exactly how things are now $ then, of course, it $ s going to be really tough [to have children], $ she added.The state-controlled pollster VTsIOM reported this year that 6% of Russians believe that families need to not have children or that having children is not mandatory, while this figure is currently 20% amongst young adults aged 18-24.
A late 2022 research study by the independent pollster Levada Center said that just 1% of participants said a family with no kids is the ideal.While a few childfree groups have appeared on VKontakte, among Russia $ s most popular social networks platforms, they are fairly little, with the largest having 19,000 and 13,000 members respectively.Experts said that the issue of declining birth rates is not rooted in childfree ideology, but rather in financial aspects, keeping in mind that increasing monetary support to families with children is a quick way to improve birth rates.
$ The state hysteria over birth rates has actually predictably devolved into yet another repressive costs that no longer straight addresses group concerns.
Nowadays, the federal government is experienced at repressing $ but it is no longer capable of constructively and productively solving issues, $ independent demographer Alexei Raksha said on his Telegram channel.
$ There is a clear absence of understanding of the subject being controlled at all levels and branches of power.
The authorities intend to put everything on ideological tracks, regardless of anything else, but this does not increase birth rates, $ he added.The legislation, if passed, would prohibit $ childfree propaganda $ on the internet and in the media, movies and ads with fines of up to 400,000 rubles ($4,129) for people and as much as 5 million rubles ($51,611) for legal entities.
In practice, any favorable comments relating to a childless way of life or public conversations on contraception or abortion might be considered an infraction, stated Maxim Olenichev, a legal representative with the human rights group Perviy Otdel.
$ The wording of the legislation is vague and uncertain, which might cause numerous abuses, $ Olenichev told The Moscow Times.Another essential element is that $ childfree propaganda $ would be banned for minors, which could result in limitations on educating teenagers about contraception and contraception, Olenichev stated.
If society stops talking about modern-day contraception and contraception approaches, two major social problems are likely to emerge: an increase in teenage pregnancies and increased stigmatization of abortion.
All of this is, naturally, being warranted as part of the effort to uphold standard values, $ he told The Moscow Times.Yet some want to go even further.State Duma deputy Biysultan Hamzaev advised the Justice Ministry to prohibit the $ childfree movement $ as a company $ interesting in extremist activities, $ similar to how Russia has banned the LGBTQ+ neighborhood as $ extremist.
$ The initiative, nevertheless, does not appear to have gotten any official backing.Some pro-government specialists proposed imposing a regular monthly tax on households without children $ a Soviet-era practice.
When asked about the proposition this week, the Kremlin stated that $ we need to evaluate the experience $ of the Soviet Union $ s tax, stating it $ most likely had little influence on the group situation.
$ The legislation to ban $ childfree propaganda $ must pass two more readings in the State Duma, after which it would go to the upper-house Federation Council for a single vote.
Putin would likewise need to sign off.However, this legislation appears to have actually already raised concerns amongst some Russians who do not wish to have kids.
$ I have a very bad attitude towards the expensive initiatives of our State Dum , $ Olga told The Moscow Times.
$ I think that our legislative body is, to put it mildly, focused on the wrong issues, distracting us from truly important matters, $ Olga stated.
$ There is no ideology of being childfree, in my opinion.
They created it yourself and are now attempting to prohibit it.
Furthermore, they are not even combating the right battle.
$ $ They have been in power for several years and during this time, practically absolutely nothing has been done to promote a healthy domesticity, she said.