As reported by the US Department of State, January 3rd, 2013, President Vladimir Putin of Russia signed into law Russian Federal Law No. 186614-6 on December 28th, 2012, which prohibits the adoptions of Russian children by U.S. citizens. This law went into effect on January 1st, 2013. The law bans adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens, bars the adoption service providers from assisting U.S. citizens to adopt Russian children, and requires termination of the U.S.-Russia Adoption Agreement.
Victoria Nuland, spokesperson for the US Department of State said that the Russian Law No. 186614-6 is part of a wider response by the Russian Government to the Magnitsky Act, a United States law that imposes travel bans and other sanctions on Russian officials suspected of human rights abuses.
Moscow officially terminated its bilateral child adoptions agreement with Washington on January 9th, 2013. US State Department officials say the adoption ban has halted the adoption of 500 to 1,000 children from Russian at various
stages in the adoption process. Russian officials have said the number of halted adoptions is 46 Russian children by US families whose cases are currently being processed.
There is hope for these families, however. News came in Thursday night from The Kremlin that the new law would not go into effect for another year. This news brings hope for those Americans whose attempts to adopt from Russia were cut short this December. There has been no word from the US State Department yet. Further information regarding inter-country adoption from Russia will also be posted on www.adoption.state.gov.
For families who were considering adopting from Russia, Hague Convention countries, such as Bulgaria, offer a possible option for adoption of a child. The Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-Country Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention) is an international agreement to establish safeguards to ensure that inter-country adoptions (international adoptions) take place in the best interest of the child. Countries that have signed on to the Hague Adoption Convention promise to adhere to internationally agreed upon standards for the protection of children.
MLJ Adoptions, Inc. offers an established international adoption program with Bulgaria. The Bulgarian adoption program through MLJ Adoptions, Inc. has secured many forever families for precious, healthy children. Bulgaria is a Hague Adoption Convention country that recognizes children have a right to a loving permanent family, and when that family cannot be found in their country of origin, a family may be found through international adoption. The Bulgarian government has taken important steps to ensure the adoption climate is friendly for international adoption from Bulgaria. In 2010, changes in Bulgarian adoption law created even more opportunities for children to be adopted by forever families speeding up the adoption process so that many children are able to come home at a younger age.
Photo Credit: Elina
If you are considering international adoption, click here. If you are interested in learning more about adoption from Bulgaria, click here.
MLJ Adoptions
MLJ Adoptions is a Non-Profit, Hague-Accredited adoption service provider located in Indianapolis, Indiana, working in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Isles. We are passionate about serving children in need.