Putin Says He Will Sign Law Barring U.S. Adoptions

[tfcrew]

MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin’s decision Thursday to endorse a ban on American citizens adopting Russian children dealt a serious blow to an already strained diplomatic relationship, but for hundreds of Americans enmeshed in the costly, complicated adoption process, the impact was deeply personal.       

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/28/world/europe/putin-to-sign-ban-on-us-adoptions-of-russian-children.html?_r=0

[GQBlues]

I'm glad!

The only thing wrong with this is it isn't yet signed. He should do it first thing tomorrow morning if not yesterday.

[I/O]

I'm glad!

Why?

[GQBlues]

Multiple fronts, I/O....few of which is actually shown in the article, such as...

...The ban is part of a bill retaliating against a new American law aimed at punishing human rights abuses in Russia....

Too many things get caught up in politics. This one didn't belong there but is done so regardless. The majority of Russians chose their leader, then let it be so.

This is one I firmly agree with...

...I intend to sign the law,....as well as a presidential decree changing the procedure of helping orphaned children, children left without parental care, and especially children who are in a disadvantageous situation due to their health problems...

Who better to care for these kids than people of their own - anyway. It's due time, that is if Putin's word is worth a kopek.

There are other reasons. Unfortunate for those who got caught in the middle of this but for those US parents, there are orphaned children here and elsewhere.

This segment of Russia/western relations, post-USSR, is a big deal for me likely because I encountered this firsthand my first trip to Russia with a couple who was dining their first night with their 'new' son after a rigorous 2 years of bureaucracy. I initially thought how wonderful that was.....then propaganda and politics kicked in.

[tfcrew]

What if some of us have found and petitioned for their Russian bride and this jerk puts a nyet on the exit of these ladies   [a la North Korea]?

Putin did sign the order.
Several Americans are slimed out of their plans ...their travel...time...money..attachment....

Aaron and Jenny Moyer already consider a Russian orphan named Vitali as their own. But a controversial Russian law that bans the adoption of Russian children by U.S. families may keep the boy from his new home in the United States. The Moyers have photos of their visits with Vitali in Russia, and the adoption process was under way.
"He's our son," Aaron Moyer said. "In our hearts, he is our son."
Russian President Vladimir Putin may have put an end to that when he signed the controversial measure Friday.
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.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/28/world/europe/russia-us-adoptions/index.html

[Gator]

  ..... a presidential decree changing the procedure of helping orphaned children, children left without parental care, and especially children who are in a disadvantageous situation due to their health problems...

I have talked with some parents of adopted Russian orphans.  I very much doubt that the Russian government can or will provide what these kids need.
 
Russia does/did not allow healthy kids to be adopted.  All came here with some problems.  Many times the problems were not physical. 
 
I know of one case where a brother and sister were adopted.  Their mother was stabbed to death by her "lover," and the brother witnessed it at age 5.  Horrific!  As if that is not bad enough, the man repeatedly raped the little sister, age 4 at the time.   
 
The American parents adopted them a year after the incident.   The two kids are now young teenagers.  The two are better now, as they do not wake up screaming or talk about  seeing the knife being thrust into mama.  Yet there is more work to be done. 
 
Does anyone believe a new Russian government program will take care of such kids better than adoptive parents?

[BC]

Does anyone believe a new Russian government program will take care of such kids better than adoptive parents?

One can hope that will be the case.

A while back there was a discussion here about international adoptions. IIRC it's also a pretty big business.

What's the advantage of international adoption anyway?  quicker? easier? cheaper? white knight?

brides.... babys.... are there similar motivations?

[I/O]

There are far more than the official 120 000 odd orphaned kids in Russia desperately needing help - I've seen just enough with my own eyes to be certain there is far more behind this than principal or surface politics, in fact I would go so far as to suggest this could well be about engineering a black market which provides a much healthier cash flow for the country than does a legal route.

[tfcrew]

Russia Allows Final Child Adoptions to Leave for US

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/01/russia-allows-final-child-adoptions-to-leave-for-us/

[Chicagoguy]

Agree with I/O
I have a small connection with an orphanage near Omsk. It was very nice but many of the "kids" were beyond adoption years. And they do have a reputation of foisting off some of the less healthy children.

[CanadaMan]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/28/world/europe/putin-to-sign-ban-on-us-adoptions-of-russian-children.html?_r=0

Apparently there's a lot more to this story than first meets the eye.

The Russian law barring U.S. adoptions was a tit-for-tat retaliation against the U.S. for its signing of the Magnitsky Act.

It's a fairly complicated story but worth the read.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/04/04/ctl-magnitsky.html

[tfcrew]

.. a tit-for-tat retaliation against the U.S. for its signing of the Magnitsky Act.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/04/04/ctl-magnitsky.html

... in December, the United States enacted the Magnitsky Act, freezing the assets of and barring from the U.S. anyone it was deemed involved in the Russian lawyer's death or the fraud he uncovered.
The Kremlin retaliated, compiling its own list of Americans it says have played a role in human rights abuses, as well as banning U.S. residents from adopting children from Russia.

 

[BillyB]

European court finds Russia discriminatory against American couples wanting to adopt children. Orders Russia to pay $3800 each to nearly 200 couples. These couples spent thousands and formed emotional bonds with children before Russia abruptly canceled their adoption. About 60,000 Russian children were adopted by Americans in the previous 20 years before the ban.

http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/world/europe/russia-adoptions-us-court.html?_r=0

[tfcrew]

Russian lawmaker says Moscow may lift adoption ban Doug Stanglin , USA TODAY  Published 9:24 a.m. ET Jan. 18, 2017 | Updated 6 hours ago

Moscow is willing to open talks with the U.S. about lifting a 4-year-old ban on Americans adopting Russian children, the speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament said Wednesday.
“We are ready for dialogue,” Valentina Matvienko said, providing the U.S. could guarantee the welfare of Russian adoptees, the Russian news agency TASS reported.
"Everything can be changed back," she said, adding without elaboration that "at least some steps from the U.S. are needed."
The ban, she said, "is not a goal in itself," and "the fate of children is the most important thing."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/01/18/russian-lawmaker-says-moscow-may-lift-ban-us-adoptions/96710392/

[Larry1]

This is a despicable act from a despicable regime. Sacrificing orphan children's chances to have better lives is loathesome.

I've talked to people who have visited orphanages in Russia. The people running the orphanages seem to do good work with very modest resources but the orphans would almost all do better with adoptive families.

The same is true with orphanages in the United States, or at least was the last time I was in an orphanage here. When I was in elementary school I played baseball with two orphans who lived in an orphanage in a neighborhood near where I lived. I went there to visit them at times and it was not a place I would have wanted to live.

I had several friends, relatives, and co-workers who adopted internationally, from Russia, China, and Guatemala. All were good parents. One of my co-workers adopted a tiny five year old girl from an orphanage in Siberia. I would see the family from time to time because we lived in the same neighborhood and it had lots of activities for kids.

Another couple we knew adopted two girls from an orphanage in China. The older of the two girls was in my oldest daughter's elementary school class so I had the opportunity see the family often. The one daughter went all through elementary school, middle school, and high school with my daughter, excelled in academics, and was the editor of the school newspaper. She is now at university.

The two Guatemalan orphans were adopted by my ex-wife's cousin and her husband. They had some problems at first but their parents were patient and my daughters told me that they are doing well now.

So I view adoptions, including international adoptions, as good things.

[mhr7]

The same is true with orphanages in the United States, or at least was the last time I was in an orphanage here.

I don't think orphanages are used much, if at all, anymore in the US. They try to put these kids with foster families.