MOSCOW, September 7 (RAPSI) - Baby boxes, or incubators for parents who want to leave their newborn babies anonymously, may be banned from use in Russia, Izvestia reports.

The initiative was proposed by Liberal Democratic party member Vitaly Zolochevsky who has been preparing amendments to the Russian Criminal Code.

The parliament member suggested holding parents legally liable for leaving their babies in such an incubator with possible penalties of four years in prison and fines of 200,000 rubles ($2,900). The amendments to the law also ban baby boxes completely.

“The primary and only argument of baby box supporters is that this box can save a baby from dying. Lobbyists believe that parents who do not want to take care of the child will just leave him or her in a baby box. I believe that such boxes make it too easy for parents to give up their children,” Izvestia reports citing Zolochevsky.

Irina Chirkova, a member of the State Duma Committee for Issues of Family, Women and Children, on the contrary, claims that baby boxes must be legal in Russia so parents won’t give up their children illegally, Izvestia reports.