Same-Sex Couples Cannot Adopt Russian Children

Moscow, February 5, Interfax - Same-sex couples are prohibited to adopt Russian orphans, Presidential Children's Rights Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said in an interview published by Rossiyskaya Gazeta on Tuesday.

"Our fundamental laws - the Constitution and the Family Code - have already declared that position. They define a marriage as a union of a man and a woman. Nothing else. Period," Astakhov said.

There have been public protests in countries pondering same-sex marriage laws, such as France, the ombudsman said. Many people think they need a law banning homosexuality propaganda, just like Russia has endorsed, he said.

"They say that the French Education Ministry is introducing a standard of homosexual family propaganda in textbooks. Children are told that a family is not just the papa and the mama; it could be the papa and the papa or the mama and the mama," Astakhov said.

It is the question of humanitarian norms, which are being gradually transformed into international laws, the ombudsman said.

"Take the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It says the child has the right to the papa and the mama. The adults do not have the mandatory right to have a child. But the child has the right to the mama and the papa. And it is being proposed to us to change the model of this world, this relationship," the children's rights ombudsman said.

Why do so many Americans adopt foreign babies?

More reasons than I can cover here, and the answers vary by country. The main reason is lack of young children available for adoption here. Many of the children available for adoption here languished (by reasons of law or circumstance) in the foster care system for a several years. Though many foster parents do adopt placed children. the reasons for wanting young children vary from the preference of the adoptive mother, to emotional damage that may have come to the children available (e.g. Attachment Disorder). Some adopting parents have fear that the adoption may not be truly finalized, and that they will ultimately be hounded by a birth mother (this is rare when adoptions are done properly). Depending on the state, an international adoption may move more quickly, and certainly more reliably. Time and money is needed in most adoptions (though not as much in the foster to adopt). If a parent would like a child of a certain look, for whatever reason, perhaps to blend in better with other children, countries like Russia become more popular. For those with tight funds, an African or Haitian adoption may be a relative financial bargain. Though these places are prone to corruption and debilitating natural disasters that can send you back to square one.

In recent years, a down economy combined with the onerous Hague Convention plus new U.S. regulations have caused a serious downturn in international adoptions.

There is much, much more to this. I can say that a loving adoption of any child, foreign and domestic, is well-worth doing for many, many reasons.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.