Russians may amend adoption ban

Governing party member proposes exception for special-needs orphans

Protesters outside the Kremlin in Moscow gathered Dec. 27, 2012.
Photo Vatican Radio

While Russian president Vladimir Putin recently signed a new amendment into law banning the adoption of Russian children by Americans, not all fellow parliamentarians agree with the policy.

Robert Shlegel, a member of Putin’s United Russia party who serves in the Duma, the country's Parliament, has proposed an amendment to the law for an exception: Russian orphans with special needs could be adopted by families overseas.

Andrea Roberts, head of American adoption agency, Reece's Rainbow, said:

“The last few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster for us," since “the law that Putin signed would literally be a death sentence for hundreds, if not thousands, of Russian orphans with special needs."

She continued:

"This amendment has restored my faith that the Russians believe that every person deserves a family."

According to UNICEF, there are 740,000 orphaned children in Russia. In the past 20 years, 60,000 Russian children have been adopted by American families.

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