MOSCOW, November 12. /TASS/. The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, adopted in second and third readings a bill introducing fines for promoting a child-free lifestyle, comparable to penalties for promoting non-sexual relations. traditional practices and sex change.

The bill was presented to the State Duma by a group of deputies and senators led by the speakers of both houses of Parliament Vyacheslav Volodin and Valentina Matvienko in September, alongside an initiative to ban public propaganda promoting voluntary infertility.

The bill amends the Code of Administrative Offenses.

Under the new bill, propaganda aimed at voluntarily not having children will be subject to the same sanctions as those provided for by the code for propaganda about non-traditional relationships and (or) sexual preferences, as well as about change of sex.

The bill provides for a fine of up to 100,000 rubles ($1,021) for citizens and up to 200,000 rubles ($2,042) for officials. Legal entities will be subject to a fine of up to one million rubles ($10,208) or administrative suspension of their activities for up to 90 days.

If the propaganda targets minors, fines can be doubled. For spreading such propaganda in the media or on the Internet, the fine for citizens will amount to 200,000 rubles ($2,042), for officials – up to 400,000 rubles ($4,084), for persons morals – up to 4 million rubles ($40,835).

The maximum fine for disseminating propaganda about voluntary infertility will be five million rubles ($51,044), and will be applied to any legal entity targeting minors with such propaganda using the Internet or via media. Likewise, in the same case, citizens face a fine of up to 400,000 rubles ($4,084), officials – up to 800,000 rubles ($8,167).

Current sanctions will also apply to foreign citizens who promote childlessness. For such acts, they face a fine of up to 100,000 rubles ($1,020) with administrative expulsion from Russia or arrest for up to 15 days accompanied by expulsion from the country. If it involves propaganda targeting minors via the Internet or other media, the fine will vary between 200,000 rubles ($2,041) and 400,000 rubles ($4,084). In this case, expulsion is also provided.