MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a controversial new law Friday banning the adoption of Russian children by U.S. families.
The action could affect hundreds of American families seeking to adopt.
Americans adopted close to 1,000 Russian children last year, according to U.S. State Department figures.
Though the number has been dropping in recent years, Russia remains the third most popular country for U.S. citizens to adopt, after China and Ethiopia.
The U.S. State Department said it “deeply regrets” the new Russian law.
“The Russian government’s politically motivated decision will reduce adoption possibilities for children who are now under institutional care,” it said in a statement. “We are further concerned about statements that adoptions already underway may be stopped and hope that the Russian government would allow those children who have already met and bonded with their future parent to finish the necessary legal procedures so that they can join their families.”
The law, which goes into effect on January 1, is widely seen as retaliation for a law that U.S. President Barack Obama signed on December 14.
That bill, called the Magnitsky Act, imposes U.S. travel and financial restrictions on human rights abusers in Russia.
The Magnitsky Act is named in honor of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who uncovered the largest tax fraud in the country’s history in the form of rebates claimed by government officials who stole money from the state.
Magnitsky died in 2009 after a year in a Moscow detention center, apparently beaten to death.
The Russian bill’s implementation nullifies a recent agreement between the United States and Russia in which the countries agreed to additional safeguards to protect children and parties involved in inter-country adoptions.
Backers of the Russian bill said American adoptive parents have been abusive, citing 19 deaths of Russian children since the 1990s.
In 2010, an American woman caused outrage after she sent her adopted son back to Russia alone on a one-way flight, saying the boy, then 7, had become to hard to handle.
For more information on international adoptions go to
http://adoption.state.gov/
12 Comments to “Russia Bans Adoptions to U.S. Families”
December 28, 2012 at 4:43 PM
We don't want those pinko communist babies here anyhow!
December 28, 2012 at 6:04 PM
Typical how Russia has de-evloved into a puppy mill of human children whie simutaneously leading the way in human rights abuses.
Putin's making Mexico look almost sane.
December 28, 2012 at 6:53 PM
my classmate's sister makes $69 an hour on the laptop. She has been without work for 10 months but last month her check was $16637 just working on the laptop for a few hours. Here's the site to read more ,…….. Bit40.ℂOℳ
December 29, 2012 at 9:31 AM
Cordell, my classmate's brother was without a job for six months, went to web site and earned $34,000.00 in two months. You buy that? You stupid moron. I have a web site for you: gotohellwanandall.com
December 28, 2012 at 7:55 PM
Russia can ban adoptions of their children by Americans, but Americans can't ban illegal immigrants? Hmm, something is very wrong here folks.
December 28, 2012 at 8:31 PM
nice going Ovomit, lets make children pay for your stupidity.
December 29, 2012 at 5:52 AM
Put wee wee in hole and pump, repeat put wee wee in hole and pump repeat. What you got nothing adopt a kid from Somalia then
December 29, 2012 at 9:28 AM
The only people who are saddened by this law are the crooked adoption agencies who can no longer profit from others' misery. Those babies, for the most part, have emotional and psychological problems.
I think it's a great law as we have so many children in this country who need homes.
December 29, 2012 at 10:01 AM
Good point indeed.
December 29, 2012 at 1:27 PM
We need to ban ALL foreign adoptions…..we do not ant these mongrols here!…..we have enough of these thangz here already!
January 2, 2013 at 7:04 PM
Wow wel my sister n her husband were. In the final stages of adopting a little boy n that's their baby so to take him away is pure evil and nothing less than a real life grinch