Couples interested in international adoption to start a family may not be able to adopt children from Russia if legislation is passed by the upper house and signed by the country’s president. The legislation would ban Americans from adopting children from Russia.
Supporters of the legislation in Russia say that it was proposed to address concerns of Russian children being abused in the U.S. after they were adopted. Critics of the proposed legislation say that lawmakers passed the bill to retaliate against the U.S. for a recent law that asks for sanctions against people in Russia that violate human rights.
Critics also say that the legislation will hurt orphans in Russia by not allowing Americans to adopt them and give them a better home. There are an estimated 740,000 orphans in Russian that could be adopted, according to UNICEF.
If Russia passes the legislation and bans Americans from adopting Russian children, it could potentially have a big impact on international adoption in the U.S. Couples interested in adopting children from countries around the world will have to wait and see if Russia passes the ban or not. If so, current and future adoptions of Russian children will most likely be impacted.
Couples or individuals interested in adoption should look into domestic and international adoption guidelines and procedures. Many couples may benefit from working a family law attorney who specializes in adoption cases. An attorney can explain the complex laws surrounding adoption and provide guidance on what steps to take when trying to adopt.
Source: USA Today, “Russian parliament passes anti-U.S. adoption measure,” Dec. 21, 2012
Our law firm can help individuals or couples looking to adopt. For more information, please visit our adoption page.