Vladimir Putin — amidst much fanfare and hoopla — declared 2024 to be Russia’s “Year of the Family,” shamelessly touting the alleged joys and benefits of having more children than you could ever conceivably afford, take care of, or find space for. His purpose was to get everyone busy replacing all the souls that have been lost in recent years as a result of his “special military operation” in Ukraine and other causes (such as suicide, and mass migration from Russia to almost anywhere else in the world).

And what a grand year-long party it was! There was even a competition to choose the outstanding families of 2024, with award ceremonies in various locations throughout the country . . . one of which, at Nizhniy Novgorod, included Putin’s favorite new emigre family from Canada, Arend and Anneesa Feenstra and the eight little Feenstras.

In one region — Chelyabinsk — the local authorities even offered a benefit of 1,000,000 rubles ($10,000) for producing an offspring, provided both parents are studying at a higher education institution in the region. [Chris Rickleton, RFE/RL, January 13, 2025.]

Never mind that the student couples would presumably be quite young — perhaps in their early twenties or even late teens. And forget about the difficulties involved in balancing studies, some sort of paying job, and caring for a child. And don’t worry about the stress of building toward a post-graduate career, or perhaps enjoying life as a young couple for a few years before settling down to family life. Just crank out those kids, kids.

I don’t know how successful Putin’s year of encouragement and incentivization has been in terms of the number of babies born or on the way; but it is apparent that 2024 was only the beginning. Because — in addition to the already-established, rather draconian fines for so much as disagreeing with or speaking against his baby-boom obsession — he has come up with even more means of increasing the population of Mother Russia.

Would anyone be surprised to learn that criminal prosecution is among them?

More than a dozen regions have passed laws banning “coercion to abortion,” calling for fines of up to 100,000 rubles (around $1,000) for doctors and employers who have “forced” advice on pregnant women. In fact, women are telling of being given advice against it when visiting medical clinics for legal abortions, or having the procedure delayed under one pretext or another. [Id.]

Anti-abortion films are being shown in movie theaters, with special screenings arranged for government employees, university students, and even for school children. In addition, a new subject — Family Studies — was introduced in schools at the beginning of the current school year to teach children that “family is the foundation of any state.” [Id.]

And last year, an amendment was proposed to the law “On the Basics of Healthcare in the Russian Federation” to include the concept of rights “before as well as after birth.” [Id.]

Now, this has nothing to do with whether you’re anti-abortion or pro-choice; that’s a strictly personal, individual matter. Rather, it’s about one man — Vladimir Putin — taking away another long-standing legal right for the wrong reasons.

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All of this follows on the heels of 2022’s legislation prohibiting “LGBT propaganda.” And added to Russia’s list of extremist organizations in March of 2024 was a nameless — in fact, non-existent — “international LGBT social movement and its structural units,” thereby officially criminalizing any support of LGBT rights.

But wait . . . there’s more.

Divorce has long been rampant in Russia — which, of course, flies in the face of Putin’s promotion of family values. So in September, legislation was submitted to the State Duma subjecting spouses filing for divorce to a three-month waiting period to attempt reconciliation, and mandating psychological consultations for both parties. The law, if passed, would also require the couple to undergo “reeducation” if they have underage children, or if the divorce is contested by either spouse. [Id.]

And what about cases of domestic violence? Apparently not an issue. It’s all about increasing the population, at any cost.

Is it any wonder I’m having flashbacks to George Orwell’s “1984”?

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Now, there’s certainly nothing inherently wrong with promoting family values: honesty, loyalty, decency, and respect for one another are of supreme importance. In fact, don’t we all give in to a little soggy sentimentality when we watch the old movies and TV sitcoms about big, happy families? And remember the Andy Williams Christmas shows, with all the parents, grandparents, siblings, children, neighbors, and anyone else who happened to drop by, laughing and singing and making merry? There’s nothing more comforting than sharing your life with people you love, and who love you . . . right?

But that’s not always the way it works out. Life intervenes, with its day-to-day problems, differences of opinion, personality clashes, illnesses, financial difficulties, job issues, and so on . . . and so on . . . and so on. And we each have to handle our problems in our own way, according to our individual circumstances.

The bottom line is, not everyone wants a big family; and not everyone is cut out to have a big family. And it’s none of the government’s business how many children you have, when you choose to have them, or if you choose to have any at all . . .

. . . unless, of course, your government is controlled by a heartless autocrat.

If Vladimir Putin wants to stop the population drain, perhaps he should just stop sending hundreds of thousands of young men to Ukraine to become casualties of his lust for empire. Then let Mother Nature take her own course.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/16/25