Today, the Russian Lower Parliament voted overwhelmingly to put a ban on American adoption of Russian children. This ban has not yet been confirmed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, but most agree that the bill is in part a retaliation against the law that President Obama signed which would seek to punish Russian citizens accused of violating human rights.
No translation services were needed to communicate the tension between the two nations as the new adoption ban marks the most anti-American action of Mr. Putin’s new term.
The New Bill Sparks Anger towards Americans
Those who voted in favor of the bill that would put a ban on the American adoption of Russian children have spoken about their anger towards America’s interference with Russian affairs. Many have called America hypocritical for signing a law that would punish Russians who are accused of violating human rights when American’s have seemingly done very little to punish their own citizens for similar crimes.
Dmitri S. Peskov, Mr. Putin’s spokesman, gave an interview with Russian news agencies after the bill was approved. The Russian translation voices President Putin’s and the Duma’s displeasure over the American law, while also expressing loyalty to Russia and a resistance to American interference.
Retaliation Not Approved By Everyone
The adoption bill has been supported by the Russian Lower Parliament, but it hasn’t been welcomed by everyone. The bill has been named after the Russian toddler, Dmitri Yakovlev, who was adopted by American parents and later died when his adoptive father left him in a car for eight hours on a hot day.
The bill’s name and the bill itself seems to suggest that Russian orphans are much safer in Russia than they would ever be in America, but not everyone in Russia feels this way. Critics have said that the bill will not only punish good families who want to adopt Russian children, but in the end, the bill will punish Russian children.
Lawer, Ilya V. Ponomarev, says that Russian children have a higher chance of facing death and abuse in Russia than they would in the United States. More than 86k signatures have been gathered by a Russian newspaper in an open letter to stop the bill from passing. The professional translation from a part of the letter reads “protect Russian children from the meanness of Russian lawmakers.”
Source: NY Times