Nina Ostanina, chair of Russia’s State Duma Committee for the Protection of the Family, Fatherhood, Motherhood, and Childhood, intends to address the issue of “so-called solo motherhood” by taking a critical stance toward reproductive technologies involving the use of donors.
The move was prompted by reports of the growing popularity of assisted reproduction technologies. According to the Telegram channel Baza, demand for IVF in Russia has surged by 50% over the past four years, with single women increasingly opting for solo parenting. Ostanina described this trend as “a fundamental problem in society.”
“We have commissioned scientific research on the impact of fatherhood on child development. We believe that if a child is raised only by a mother, it will later affect their socialization. We are already seeing the results of female upbringing in educational institutions. It is why we have these effeminate men with a feminist tinge. In addition, a lack of will and inner core — all of this is the result of female upbringing. Such children will go on to reproduce the model of a single-parent family. I see it as a problem. Surrogacy is now prohibited for single men, so we should also think about women. If there is such a trend, lawmakers must pay serious attention to it. And who is the donor? Where is the guarantee that the child will be born healthy?”
According to the member of Russia’s state parliament, the Committee intends to take up this issue jointly with the Ministry of Healthcare and conduct additional research.
“This statistic makes me inclined to conduct an in-depth study on the issue. Our committee will discuss it together with the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia. I would not approach this topic from the perspective of women who do not see men as men. Because in the zone of the special military operation, there are real men. So these women would be better off looking at our servicemen, finding ways to get in touch with them, support them, wait for them to return. The special operation has taken men of reproductive age out of everyday life. So this is not very feminine behavior. It seems to me that this is a departure from our traditions — to have a child through IVF and raise them without a father.”
Nina Ostanina raised two sons with her husband, a former State Duma staff member. One of her children, Daniil Ostanin (born 1982), was prosecuted in 2010 for the murder of his business partner. According to investigators, he inflicted 42 stab wounds on the victim and fled before being detained the next day. The crime was reportedly triggered by a dispute over debts. In 2012, a court sentenced Daniil to 12.5 years in a high-security penal colony.
Previously, Ostanina had put forward several controversial initiatives, including a crackdown on “quadrobbing” among teenagers and a proposal to lift the ban on killing stray animals.
