MOSCOW, June 26 (RIA Novosti) – Legislation to ban adoptions of Russian children by same-sex couples abroad was given final parliamentary approval on Wednesday and, to become law, needs only to be signed by President Vladimir Putin, who has already declared support for it.
The bill is a continuation of a recent clampdown on homosexuals by the Russian government. Earlier this month, lawmakers passed legislation introducing steep fines for the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” toward minors. That legislation's vague wording may enable individuals to be implicated for even telling children that gay people exist.
The adoption ban bill, passed by the upper house of parliament on Wednesday after being approved by the lower house last week, would also disallow unmarried foreigners from adopting if they live in the more than a dozen countries where same-sex marriage is legal.
On Tuesday, Putin emphasized that the rights of sexual minorities in Russia were not being violated in any way. When asked about the “non-traditional sexual relations” bill, Putin said that sexual minorities “are full-fledged members of our society and are not being discriminated against in any way.”
Soon that bill will also be considered by the upper house of parliament.
