Russian parliamentary ethics commission says it’s inoffensive to say women risk damnation if they don’t use their ‘baby factories’

Meduza.io

The State Duma’s Ethics Commission has rejected a claim against United Russia lawmaker Alexander Ilytyakov, who recently insulted women who refuse to bear children. In an interview with the website UraRu, Ilytyakov said, “While the ‘baby factory’ works — do what you are commanded to do on Earth. Otherwise, by going against the Creator’s will, you kill yourself, your lineage, and your loved ones with your sin.”

The complaint against Ilytyakov came from fellow lawmaker Ksenia Goryacheva, a deputy from the New People minority party. Responding to the commission’s decision (which bore the signature of chairperson Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space), Goryacheva said she disagrees with the ruling but believes her case demonstrates that “society will no longer silently tolerate such statements.” “More and more people are ready to react and defend their right to respectful treatment,” she wrote online.

According to the ethics commission, Ilytyakov’s remarks about “baby factories” and killing loved ones with “sin” are merely “colloquial expressions sometimes used in the Russian language” that contain “no offensive or negative subtext.”

In late November 2024, Vladimir Putin signed into law legislation banning the promotion of speech in favor of choosing not to have children. The new law imposes fines for “propaganda against childbearing” of up to 400,000 rubles ($3,800) for individuals, 800,000 rubles ($7,700) for officials, and five million rubles ($48,300) for organizations. However, it exempts the promotion of monasticism from the ban on advocating a “childfree” lifestyle.