Bill No. 12191 Fails to Pass
Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has voted down Bill No. 12191, which aimed to remove criminal penalties for adults involved in producing and distributing pornographic material. Only 207 lawmakers supported the measure, falling short of the required 226 votes for approval. As a result, the bill is considered defeated and will not proceed to a second first reading.
What the Bill Proposed
The legislation sought to toughen criminal liability for the following offenses:
- selling or distributing pornographic content to minors;
- coercing minors or underage individuals into participating in the creation of such material;
- selling or distributing pornography to underage persons.
At the same time, the bill would have decriminalized the import, storage, transport, production, mailing, sale, and distribution of pornography among consenting adults.
Bill No. 12191 had received backing from the Verkhovna Rada's law enforcement committee in December 2024. In 2025, a petition calling for the decriminalization of pornography gathered 25,000 signatures by July of that year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the petition, noting that legislative changes are solely the responsibility of the parliament.
Lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak commented on the outcome, stating: 'In modern, democratic Ukraine, people will still be sent to prison for seven years just for sending nude photos to each other as adults.'
The rejection of this bill underscores the ongoing uncertainty surrounding pornography legislation in Ukraine, as parliamentary initiatives continue to lack sufficient support. Despite some legislative momentum, the parliament maintains a conservative stance on the issue. Given the growing public debate over decriminalization, future efforts may require more refined legal language to strike a balance between adult rights and the protection of minors from exploitation.
The recent rejection of Bill No. 12191 highlights the ongoing challenges in Ukraine's legislative landscape regarding adult content. As public interest in such issues grows, a petition against the new civil code has also gained significant traction, exceeding 25,000 signatures. This indicates a broader movement among citizens advocating for changes in legal frameworks that affect personal freedoms and rights, which could influence future discussions on similar legislative matters.