Russian parliament backs ban on adoptions from countries that allow gender reassignment

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s parliament on Wednesday gave its first backing to legislation banning citizens of countries that allow people to change their gender from adopting Russian children, a move it said was essential to uphold “traditional values”.

Russia itself last year introduced a ban on people seeking to legally or medically change their gender, as part of an increasingly broad crackdown on LGBT rights that has banned “LGBT propaganda” and President Vladimir Putin portraying his country as a bastion of “traditional values” locked in an existential struggle with a morally decadent West.

Members of the Duma, the lower house of parliament, voted 397-1 in favor of the new adoption ban in the first of three readings, suggesting the legislation, which has already been approved in principle by the government, will become law.

“This decision is aimed at protecting childhood and traditional values,” said Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin after the vote.

“It is necessary to protect our children from the dangers they may encounter when they are adopted or taken in by citizens of foreign countries where gender reassignment is permitted.”

According to Volodin, dozens of Western countries allow people to change their gender.

Vasily Piskarev, a leading lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party and co-author of the legislation, says adoptees are at risk of being forced to change their gender or becoming victims of sexual exploitation in the West.

Russia banned adoptions by US citizens in 2012 and the war in Ukraine has seen the number of adoptions by foreigners fall to just six children in 2023, according to data from news outlet RBK.

(This story has been re-archived to change the image)