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Russia must resist global trend to legalize same-sex marriages — Matviyenko

Some Western countries have legalized same-sex marriages and allowed adoptions by such couples, Russia must actively counter these trends, Federation Council speaker says

© FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA/EPA

MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/. Russia must actively fight the global trend to legalize same-sex marriages and allow such couples to adopt children, Chairperson of Russia’s Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko said on Monday.

"Some Western countries have legalized same-sex marriages and allowed adoptions by such couples. Russia must actively counter these trends," the speaker told the parliamentary hearings dedicated to the discussion of the national strategy of upbringing development in Russia.

According to Matviyenko, the primary role in the process of upbringing should be allotted to the family. "My deep conviction is that nothing can substitute for its role. The family was, is and will always be the basis for upbringing and education," she said.

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No surrogacy for gays and single men — Russia set for a bill

The Council Federation speaker noted that the state and society had to help the family to successfully perform its educational functions. According to her, "the family as an institution is now being tested for endurance." "The number of divorces is high. Such a phenomenon as social orphanhood persists," she noted.

Matviyenko pointed to the importance of providing the family with all material resources to ensure decent living standards. "The policy of the state should be such that three children don’t become an unsustainable financial burden for the family," the senator added.

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