The bill, which was approved by Russia’s upper house of parliament on Wednesday, aims to prohibit the adoption of Russian children by citizens from countries where gender transitioning is legal.
The Federation Council has also given its approval to bills that make it illegal to disseminate content that promotes the idea of not having children.
The lower house has already approved the bills, and now they await President Vladimir Putin’s signature to become law. These laws continue the trend of suppressing sexual minorities and reinforcing traditional values that has been seen in recent legislation.
Vyacheslav Volodin, one of the authors of the new bill, emphasized the significance of safeguarding adopted children from potential risks associated with gender reassignment in these countries.
The ban on adoption would extend to a minimum of 15 countries, primarily in Europe, as well as Australia, Argentina, and Canada. The prohibition on American citizens adopting Russian children was put in place in 2012.
Lawmakers passed several bills on Wednesday that criminalize promoting a child-free lifestyle and impose hefty fines of up to 5 million rubles ($50,000). The advocates of these bills argue that speaking out against parenthood is a deliberate tactic employed by Western forces to undermine Russia through population decline.
Putin and other top officials have been emphasizing the importance of traditional values as a response to Western liberalism. In light of Russia’s declining population, Putin has been vocal about encouraging large families and even suggested that women should consider having up to eight children.
In a controversial move, Russia implemented a ban on gender-transition medical procedures last year. Furthermore, the country’s Supreme Court has deemed the LGBTQ+ “movement” as extremist.
In 2022, Putin took a decisive step by enacting a law that prohibits the distribution of LGBTQ+ information to individuals of all ages. This law builds upon the previous ban implemented in 2013, which specifically targeted the dissemination of such material to minors.
Ever since February 2022, when troops were deployed into Ukraine, the Kremlin leader has consistently portrayed the West as “satanic” and accused it of attempting to undermine Russia by spreading liberal ideologies.
In recent years, the Russian government has been exerting greater pressure on independent journalists, critics, activists, and opposition figures. This situation has escalated significantly due to the conflict in Ukraine. As a result, numerous nongovernmental groups and individuals have been labeled as “foreign agents,” subjecting them to increased government scrutiny and carrying negative connotations.
On Wednesday, preliminary approval was given by the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, to a bill that aims to prohibit individuals designated as “foreign agents” from accessing their incomes. Under this measure, all income generated within Russia would be frozen in special accounts, and access to these funds would only be granted if their “foreign agent” status is revoked.
According to Volodin, the lower house speaker, the main objective of the proposed legislation is to prevent traitors from profiting at the expense of the citizens.