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Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP
A protester argues with police officers outside the Federation Council in Moscow on Wednesday. The poster held by the protester reads: "Children get frozen in the Cold War."
MOSCOW — Russia's upper house of parliament approved a bill on Wednesday that would prohibit Americans from adopting Russian children and impose other measures in retaliation for a U.S. law designed to punish Russians accused of human rights violations.
The bill would also outlaw some U.S.-funded non-governmental organizations and impose visa bans and asset freezes on Americans accused of violating the rights of Russians abroad.
The bill was endorsed by the lower house last week and is now expected to be sent to President Vladimir Putin to sign.
Putin hasn't committed to signing the bill, but referred to it as a legitimate response to the new U.S. law.
It is one part of a larger measure by angry lawmakers retaliating against a recently signed U.S. law that calls for sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators.
The U.S. law is primarily intended to end Cold War-era trade restrictions and was hailed by U.S. businesses worried about falling behind in the race to win shares of Russia's more open market, but its human rights part has outraged Putin's government.
Dubbed the Magnitsky Act, the U.S. legislation is named for Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who was arrested by officials he accused of a $230-million tax fraud.
He was repeatedly denied medical treatment and in 2009 died after almost a year in jail after being severely beaten by guards.
Opportunity denied
Some top Russian officials, including the foreign minister, have spoken flatly against the Russian bill, arguing that the measure would be in violation with Russia's constitution and international obligations.
Earlier Wednesday, several protesters were detained outside the upper house as it prepared to make its decision.
Boy's Christmas wish: Adoption of little brother caught in US-Russia spat
"Children get frozen in the Cold War," one poster read.
Critics of the bill say it victimizes orphans by depriving them of an opportunity to escape often-dismal Russian orphanages.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claims the U.S. is "poisoning ties" between the two countries with a law that bans Russians who abuse human rights and is backing a Russian draft law banning adoption by Americans. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
Americans may lose right to adopt Russian kids
There are about 740,000 children without parental custody in Russia, according to UNICEF. More than 60,000 Russian children have been adopted in the United States in the past 20 years.
The Russian bill is named in honor of Dima Yakovlev, a Russian toddler who was adopted by Americans and then died in 2008 after his father left him in a car in broiling heat for hours.
See the US Action Plan on Children in Adversity
The father was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Russian lawmakers argue that by banning adoptions to the U.S. they would be protecting children and encouraging adoptions inside Russia.
Russian children’s rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov told the Interfax news agency that 46 children who were about to be adopted by U.S. citizens would stay in Russia — despite court rulings in some of these cases authorizing the adoptions.
Astakhov also insisted that all adoptions would be halted once the bill is signed by Putin, but a senior lawmaker at the Federation Council insisted it cannot be enacted immediately.
Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the Council's foreign affairs committee, said that a bilateral Russian-U.S. agreement binds Russia to notify of a halt in adoptions 12 months in advance.
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Leave a Comment:
There are some interesting comments here but the bottom line is once again adults argue and children suffer.
Book, if you read my earlier comment you will note that I made the statement that Russian orphanages are terrible. I don't condone the woman who sent her teenage son back, but the real story is that the boy undoubtedly had incredibly deep-seated emotional scars that came out after he was placed for adoption. The closely held secret is that many adoptive parents are recruited thinking that they are getting a child who is normal and will respond to them as if they were born to the family. That isn'talways the case. Adopton agencies make there money placing children, regardless of whether they are successful adoptions or not. BTW, I speak from personal experience. I've adopted twice and was a foster care/adoption worker. Most of the people sounding off here are doing so out of ignorance and personal opinion; not personal experience.
Scott - I think I'd agree with your last statement. Not necessarily with your implication that agencies don't really care how their placements work out. We are the parents of three foreign-born adopted children (now grown). For many years we were pretty active in assisting/talking perspective adoptive parents of foreign children through the complicated process--maybe 100 couples over the years. There were a few failures. Mostly, as you say, these were older children who simply could not accept their adoptive parents; as opposed to say abuse. Heartbreaking to watch in any case. Being a child growing up is seldom easy. Add to it the complications of being "different" plus any feelings the child may harbor about being adopted and I guess it's no surprise that failure happens now and then. I'm sure you know that agencies who are requested to place older children make even more special effort than for infants to make sure that the right support environment is in place.
My personal experience is a little different than yours. We were once rejected for an adoption by a private (church-related) agency. We had no preference as to foreign or domestic. At the time, we lived in a small rural community of maybe 1,000 people. As far as my wife and I were concerned it was great--maybe the place of those we've lived in that we most liked. But there were obviously not many children around. The whole school system had maybe 900 children in K through 12. The agency made it clear that they felt that this was too isolated for the children they wanted to place; and they rejected us. That was some years back; and I still cannot mention that agency without putting in a barb about that.
The bigger problem here is yet another Obama administration bill that is causing children to suffer while the people ignore it and go off on some tirade about the number of adoptions, etc...
This president is a foreign relations disaster, but keep complaining amongst yourselves about petty bigotry and numbers math.
Huh? Since when are you going to take OUR country's policy's in dealing with a semi-unfriendly nation and twist them into an "Obama sucks" comment by all of a sudden "thinking of the children". This is one of the most disingenuous comments I've read on Newsvine in some time.
Newsflash Copernicus: This president has done more good for global relations vis a vis the U.S. in the past four years than Georgie Bushie was able to destroy in eight (and he tried OH so hard too!). He is playing hardball with Russia and you want to twist that into a bad thing, knowing good and goddamn well that the only reason you dislike it is because you've been fed a couple reasons by the Fox News overlords on why you must hate the president so you just do. Dude...the majority of America does not agree with you. The election proved that. Join the team for the big win.
Romney was right: Russia is our biggest enemy. But don't worry libbies. Obama got his second term so now he can be more "flexible" with Vladimir.
I'm sorry, what leverage did we lose by not being able to adopt Russia's redheads? This is as toothless a response to Obama's CORRECT policy on Russia as I can imagine. Adopting their unwanted children is doing THEM a favor last I checked, not the other way around. This is Putin kicking up a PR @!$%#storm because he really has no other tool, and you are too blinded by your unqualified hatred for our President that you fail to see it.
Praise the Lord for the Russian who finally did something right. Now Americans can adopt Americans which they should have done in the first. The only thing is in America the greed factor is in play and you have to basicelly buy the American child. It cost so much. The government will bail out GM but want help with adoption. Shame on our rulers.
I don't blame the Russians. I wouldn't want my child raised by some LBGT PC ultra liberal leaf licker same sex couple.No way! He'd turn out like Obama or something!
Waaaaaay off topic. If you want to discuss your hatred for other people because they choose to be different based on "proven facts" that you just made up, go somewhere else.
You are so full of it!! Many murderers here in the US have had both parents in the HH. There are so many hands off fathers in this country, in which many young adults who have a father in the house, really feel that their Mother was a single parent, so they resent the Father. So please, come up off that BS, and stop living in the past. There are more divorced couples and single parents, than are married, and many of these children from broken homes are doing well, where there are some who struggle. The fact is, same sex couples have far better parenting skills than some heterosexual males because heterosexuals are dominant and aggressive who love to throw around their testoterone, you know, the fear factor. Whereas a gay parent is more concerned with finding the problem, therefore, is far easier to talk too. They just as anyone, have instincts on being a good parent, and I say go for it. It's people like you who have formed an opinion without actual facts. I have not read anywhere where gay couples with children have been studied and analyzed and it was determined that this was not good. Your so-called proven fact has been disputed time and time again when children living with both parents have become kids-that-kill, and it continues to dwindle. The proven fact is whether a two-parent or single parent home, a child can become troubled even if they've been given everything in life. Just as gay men and women are born, as are murderers, and sex offenders. Evil does not discriminate!!
Of course kids with 2 poof parents have a better chance of ending up as mass murderers. Imagine a childhood of getting your a_ss kicked at school everyday for your fruity dads? In the coming years, these poor, abused kids will be committing atrocities like crazy.
Sounds good to pass anti-USA that law .. We do not have to be adopted foreign children here are many Americans children to adopt . So look at home rather than outside.
I feel bad for the Chernobyl kids and their kids and others who are damaged beyond repair. No one will ever get out of that hell hole. My kids are 1/4 Russian and I've taught them to embrace their heritage and cultures. Political fallout...tsk tsk...
The system and laws in this country need to be changed . There are way to many children in this country living with parents who are unsuited and un willing to effectively take on the task of parenting. These children are confined to these families to give the impression that welfare works. WELFARE does not work.
COMPLETELY off topic and has nothing to do with Russian laws. Go start an Obama sucks/ I hate social support nets thread somewhere else if you are so inclined.
@ WillieSmith, welfare was put in place before President Obama, and will be here long after President Obama. One more thing, adoption in the US has nothing to do with Welfare, it's the adoption laws, laws that were here before the President, and will be here after he has served his term. STOP BLAMING EVERYTHING ON PRESIDENT OABMA, you sound like a DAMN FOOL!!! OK, so now it's his fault the US has horrible adoption laws? People like you should just go, dig yourself a hole, and die there. It would do the US and the world a great service!!
They can't help it Anne. They been watching Fox News. Right as the CT shootings were happening I skimmed across Fox, just to see what their take on it was. I crap you not, they actually said that it could have been a Muslim terrorist attack. They did the SAME thing during the Norway shootings btw. This is the kind of network these guys watch. This is their source for information. Their one-stop shop for info....yeah......
Georgie,
You lie. I had the TV on Fox News when the shooting took place and that was never said. Please post the sound bite where they blamed muslims. What;s that? You don't have it? LMFAO!!
Liberals. God love em! LOL
Welfare works if you are one of the racist democrats in Washington. Keeping the blacks suppressed by buying their votes with food stamps, housing, free cable, free phones, etc is how welfare does work. Not so good for all the hardworking people and business owners like myself though.
That'll teach us Americans! We won't have an opportunity to raise the awesomely awesome pure bred Russian kids......Meanwhile in D.C. not 2 sh*ts were given ....
Lol....been making that same point.
"Oh noes...please! Not that! I can't do YOU a favor?! Sweet Jesus in heaven, whatever shall I do now?"
*crickets
Wow! Reading these posts is very disheartening for many reasons. It amazes me how misinformed, ignorant, and biased people can be. Very few here really "get it". The bottom line is that the birthrights of the parents in the USA are inalienable, regardless of the circrumstances. The stories of jailed parents or birth mothers who have had a change of heart showing back up in the life of a child they abandoned years before are true. Imagine the impact on the adoptive family, or worse, the child. Its devestating.
In our case, we went to Russia as both our families have Russian descendents. We wanted to continue our family's heritage. We adopted a wonderful 18 month boy, who twelve years later is now an all A student, and aspiring Olympian. This kid, had he stayed in Russia, would have faced a dead end life of poverty and despair. Now he will be a productive and contributing member of our society.
If I had to do it all over again, I wouldnt change a thing. Punishing needy kids in Russia for polical gamesmanship is misguided and sad.
Typical Russian action. Punish the innocent children for the sins of their government.
I agree with alot of the posters, there are plenty of kids here who need good homes, I cant stand seeing people like Madonna and Angelina Jolie adopting foreign kids when there are a ton here that need good homes, I think they do it for the publicity not the kid.
The U.S. needs to stop sticking it's nose into other countries business. We have enough problems right here in our own country. Let's try to fix those first.
a
BTW....and maybe I am confused by this seemingly pigheaded and assumptive move by the Russkies, but they are seeking to PUNISH US by not allowing THEIR orphans to be adopted by US? Does anyone else see something wrong here? What...did their orphans come with a bar of gold or something? Perhaps a shoe shine and a pizza? I'm struggling to see the punitive measure here. Those that are willing to adopt wil gladly find some other place to adopt from. It's not like we're falling all over ourselves for Russian children because they poop diamonds into their diapers. Non-issue here...move along.
PS: whoever said that the blame for this somehow falls on Obama's shoulder's is a blithering idiot and doesn't understand Russians or the way they've behaved over the course of the past two decades. Anyone that thinks that just because the Iron Curtain is gone they are now super cuddly bears holding lollipops and daisies instead of hammers and sickles is a nutbag. Putin was KGB for crying out loud. What makes anyone think that he has had some sort of monumental change of heart since the days he was wearing a red star on his fur hat?
@ againstthegrains, well maybe if the US would ease up on it's adoption procedures perhaps more children would be adopted here. The fact is, the US is one of the most difficult countries in which one can adopt. One of the reasons is because the US would rather a child be in foster care with the opportunity of the parents being able to get the child back. Perhaps if you knew your own country's/state adoption rules and regulations, then you would see why Americans go across other shores in order to become a parent. The US wants to dictate everything in a persons life, including becoming a parent. Maybe instead of being concerned about putting children back with their biological parents, the US should think of what is in the best interest of the child and take these parents rights away so that the child can be placed into the adoption system, and the process can begin. But until the US realizes that they have a problem in relation to their adoption process, we will continue to have more children in the foster system, with the inability of ever being adopted.
On this topic, a former co-worker of mine adopted two Chinese girls for that reason. They tried to adopt here, but the process was quite prohibitive.
...and why are americans going to russia to adopt children when there are many AMERICAN children in america that need to be adopted?????????????
Because the rights of biological parents trump those of the adoptive parents in the US. How would you like to adopt a child, love and care for it for 5 years, and suddenly watch the birth parent(s) walk in the door and have a legal right to be involved in your kids life? It would be heartbreaking. This issue was a major factor in our decision to go to Russia to adopt.
Are people not reading the comments?
It's too difficult to adopt here in the US and even afterwards you stand the chance of losing the child if the birth parents want them back....you know for welfare purposes or what have you.
That alone can be very discouraging so I can't blame folk for going abroad. I have seen many stories about birth parents wanting their child back and how dramatizing it can be to all involved. I wouldn't take that chance myself
Heck even folk that use surrogates have had problems keeping their babies. Our laws need to be amended and then we'd have more adoptions here....
There are children who are hungry, cold, lonely and afraid. There are children who need a family. Why should it matter where the child comes from or what color or ethnicity that child might be? God created all of these children. They all need love. They all have a right to be loved. No government should prevent a child from being part of a loving family. Politics between governments should not affect children who desperately need loving homes.
There have been some tragic stories of children reclaimed by biological parents after adoptions went awry. I can understand why someone who has lost a child to a bizarre set of legal circumstances would be reluctant to use the same legal system to try adoption for a second time.
It is wrong to use children for political purposes, regardless of which government is doing it. It is wrong to condemn people for the choices they make when they adopt. Until you have experienced the longing for a child you cannot have, you have no right to judge those who choose foreign adoption because it is faster than an American adoption, with fewer chances that a biological parent will change her/his mind. Nor can you know why another person chooses a foreign adoption over a US adoption. It usually isn't about being pc. It is about wanting a child to love.
It feels as if most of those posting here have political agendas that have nothing to do with the welfare of either child or adoptive parents.
I hope Russia will reconsider and place the needs of the children ahead of the political agenda.
Russia sux.
Does'nt seem like anyone adopts the white kids any way so it does'nt really matter .
I want to take a moment to thank the Obama administration for so graciously re-starting the cold war again! Who do we think we are to police the world and tell them what's right and wrong when we can't even keep our own country honest and true! We have corruption running wild in our own political ranks and our citizens are going bonkers and performing unheard of tradgeties and going on mindless killing sprees! But we place ourselves up on a high perch and look around and point fingers and judge.
Whether you agree with the adoption or not, the children that are already here along with my own children are now going to have to know what it's like to make a run for a fallout shelter once again!!!! The reality of EMP bombs and missles pelting us is going to come back into our childrens lives! We need to stop worrying about every little thing that others are doing and take a real good look in the mirror.
Thank you again Obama administration!
hhhhhyyyypppeeeeerrrrbooolllleeeee
@George-658661......iiiiggggnnnnnoooorrrrraaaannnnnccccceeeeeee
Chuck,
LOL! Forgive Georgie. He is one of those dudes on welfare from his idol Comrade Obama.
We are going to get even with them.
The USA is going to pass the anti-polonium bill.
Anyone caught poisoning people with polonium will be denied entry into the US.
So there! Take that! We don't want to adopt unruly Russian children anyway!
Russian orphanages are worse then any Ghetto you will see in the USA. These children live in less then third world conditions. Haiti orphanages look better. You have to see it to believe it.
Ray -- Orphanages in any country generally suffer from lack of resources, as was formerly the case in the US. In times past, there was a major league social stigma involved with being an unwed mother or not being able to support all your children. Now in many countries (for better or worse), including the US, there is not. To the extent that that stigma still exists, orphanages are a continuing reminder that something in a country's social system has broken down. That's not a pleasant reminder; and the funding for orphanages reflects that.
We already have too many mexicans jumping the border. Maybe we should spend moore resources getting them out of here (of course not because Oblamo needed their illegal votes to get re-elected.
Get the4 illegals out so maybe young americans can actually work in this country??
What a freakin concept!!!
Off topic by a mile.
"Aaaaand just a bit outside...."
Bob Uecker, Major Lague
It should be a hate crime to discuss illegal immigration on foreign policy threads.
Talk about a one track mind.