I’ve been writing from time to time about this Canadian couple — the Feenstras — who sold everything, packed up eight of their nine children (the eldest chose to stay behind) and their worldly belongings, and moved to Russia to escape what they termed the increasing “wokeness” threatening their conservative lifestyle in Canada. I have followed their Russian odyssey through successes and failures, good days and bad, and Arend Feenstra’s gall bladder surgery; and I’ve watched (on their YouTube channel) as they have greeted other Canadian and American families choosing Russia as their land of opportunity.

In addition to being local celebrities, they seem to have become Nizhniy Novgorod’s version of a Welcome Wagon for a couple of other English-speaking seekers of Russia’s version of nirvana.

And I have called them everything from misguided to just plain stupid. Not because of their religious beliefs, certainly, but because I know Russia — its history, its culture, and most importantly, its current political situation — and I fear for the futures of all of those children. For the parents, though, it must seem as though they have found their paradise.

Because on Saturday, their newly adopted President, Vladimir Putin — on whom they heap praise at every opportunity like a couple of last century’s Komsomol graduates — signed into law two pieces of legislation supposedly intended to protect Russian children from the very “wokeness” the Feenstras recently fled.

The bill that Putin approved is one I’ve written about previously, as it has made its way quickly through both houses of Parliament en route to Putin’s desk. It provides for penalties against anyone who even dares to speak in favor of choosing not to have children. In this “Year of the Family,” couples are being urged, and even rewarded, to have as many children as possible, in order to stop the alarming population decline of the last several years. And the penalties for not popping out enough babies — or simply mentioning that you might not agree with Putin’s propagation propaganda program — can be as high as $50,000.

Of course, never being one to miss an opportunity to throw blame at the Western nations, Putin has claimed that the population slump can be traced back to a concerted effort by the West to weaken Russia by convincing Russian women that they are better off with fewer children, or none at all. He would never admit that those Russian women may just be smart enough to have figured out for themselves that — in today’s uncertain, violent, inflationary world — that might actually be their best option.

So, if he can’t convince the populace with his rhetoric, he simply passes a new law to force them into compliance. And he seizes on families like the Feenstras — ready-made large broods seeking refuge from all forms of liberalism — as examples of the virtue of his professed beliefs.

*. *. *

The second new law is an extension of previous legislation regarding adoption of Russian children by citizens of other countries. A total ban on adoptions by U.S. citizens has been in place since 2012, in retaliation for the U.S. passage of the Magnitsky Act. **

** Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 (H.R. 4405). Its history is a fascinating story of courage, betrayal, persecution, prosecution, and murder; more riveting than any novel.

Now the ban has been expanded to apply to at least fifteen countries, mostly in Europe but also including Australia, Argentina and Canada — countries in which gender transitioning is legal. One of the bill’s authors, Speaker of the Duma (lower house of Parliament) Vyacheslav Volodin, said in a Telegram post last July that:

“. . . it is extremely important to eliminate possible dangers in the form of gender reassignment that adopted children may face in these countries.” [Associated Press, November 23, 2024.]

Gender-transition medical procedures were banned in Russia last year, with the Russian Supreme Court declaring the LGBTQ+ “movement” as extremist. In 2022, a law was passed prohibiting the distribution of LGBTQ+ information to people of all ages; it had already been banned for distribution to minors since 2013. [Id.]

I suppose this can be viewed as progress, of a sort. I recall being told on my first visit to the then Soviet Union in 1988, for example, that there was no AIDS problem in their country, because there were no gay people — a ludicrous allegation, but one that the people had been programmed to accept as true. At least now, their existence is officially acknowledged . . . if only in the most obscene, discriminatory manner.

So, in order to “protect” Russia’s children from having to live outside of Russia among people who have been able to make their own life choices, thousands of disadvantaged babies and youngsters from orphanages and dysfunctional homes are being denied the possibility of finding happy, healthy futures with loving families in free countries.

But I suppose Putin can always justify that by pointing out that allowing all those adoptions would only have decreased Russia’s population further. Never mind about the reality of the children’s futures — it’s all about the current numbers.

Perhaps families like the Feenstras could make room for another couple of children to feed, clothe and educate.

*. *. *

In conclusion, it’s easy to see that you’re moving your country toward the future, Mr. Putin. You’re just headed in the wrong direction.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/25/24