Adoption Ban Signed by Russian President Putin Against American Parents
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill on Friday that bans Americans from adopting Russian children.
The Russian president acted on parliament's approval of the Dima Yakovlev Law on Wednesday.
The bill is partly a response by Putin to The Magnitsky Act, a new piece of legislation signed by U.S. President Barack Obama that imposes a visa ban and financial sanctions on Russian officials accused of human rights violations.
Russia's new adoption ban will likely harm current relations with the U.S.
Lilia Shevtsova, an expert on Putin with the Carnegie Moscow Centre, was quoted by Reuters saying, "The law will lead to a sharp drop in the reputation of the Kremlin and of Putin personally abroad, and signal a new phase in relations between the United States and Russia."
The bill was protested by American families in the process of adopting children from Russia and those who were previously adopted.
"It's really sad that these kids are stuck there and have no chance to come over here and live a normal life with a family," said 18-year-old Anastasia Helberg, who moved to California after being adopted from an overcrowded orphanage in Russia, according to The Huffington Post.
Russia is the third most-popular place that Americans choose to adopt children from, according to ABC News. The State Department reports that over 45,000 Russian children have been adopted by American families since 1999.
The Dima Yakovlev law is named after a Russian toddler who was adopted by American parents and later died in their care. The young child died of a heat stroke when his adopted father, Miles Harrison, left him in a car during a hot day. Harrison was later acquitted of involuntary manslaughter, according to Time.
The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2013.
