MOSCOW — The lower house of the Russian parliament on Thursday passed a bill banning foreigners from using Russian surrogate mothers.According to Volodin, writing on Telegram last week, about 45,000 babies born by surrogate mothers have been taken abroad over “the past few years.”Proponents of the bill have often associated surrogacy with child trafficking and the organ trade.“The purpose of the law is to prohibit surrogacy for foreign citizens.Under the bill passed Thursday, couples where one of the spouses is a Russian citizen will still be able to use Russian surrogate mothers.To become federal law, the bill needs to be approved by the Federation Council, the upper house of Parliament, and signed by President Vladimir Putin."