Russian Lawmakers are seeking to pass a law which would prohibit adoption of Russian children and infants by US citizens. This law, which has already been passed by Russia’s lower House of Parliament (the State Duma), appears to be in response to the Magnitsky Act passed last week which imposes travel and financial restrictions on Russian Human Rights violators (mostly higher ranking officials). Banning adoptions is only part of the bill, which also freeze the assets and ban U.S citizens who have violated Russian laws and rights.
This competition between two major power houses has an impact far beyond the governmental walls. Such a ban on adoption erases past arrangements to protect children, adoptive parents, and biological parents involved in the adoption process. It would leave hundreds of Russian children in orphanages, when there are willing and loving families here looking to take them in. While the bill does cite abuse as one of the reasons for the ban, we cannot deny that even biological children run the risk of abuse. It is an unfortunate reality, but one which can’t be reasonably used as a means to deny hundreds of international adoptions. It is possible that if this ban was to go through national adoption of US orphans might rise, so there is always an upside. However, I feel like those numbers are likely lower than those in orphanages internationally. What do you think?
Written By Georgianna Reilly, LMSW
SJS Staff Writer
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