The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) cannot support the bill of the Ministry of Labor, according to which a family who gave birth to a child with the help of a surrogate mother will be able to receive maternity capital, since the church does not recognize surrogacy. Metropolitan Hilarion, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, said that the church considers surrogate motherhood to be an interference in the divinely established order of giving birth to children from father and mother.
“Any measures aimed at supporting surrogate motherhood cannot be approved by the church,” the clergyman emphasized in the program “Church and Peace” on the TV channel “Russia 24” (quoted by RIA Novosti). The state should make efforts to reduce mortality and increase the birth rate, but not at the expense of the loss of traditional values, the Metropolitan’s opinion is quoted by Vesti.ru.
Earlier, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill appealed to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin with a request to support a bill prohibiting foreigners from using the services of Russian surrogate mothers. According to him, after the introduction of the ban in Russia, the demographic situation will improve, as well as the number of crimes related to child trafficking will decrease.
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