The lower chamber of the Russian parliament will discuss on Friday sending a proposal to the Russian prime minister to consider suspending adoptions of Russian children by U.S. citizens.
The proposal requests Vladimir Putin to freeze child adoptions and to speed up the conclusion of a Russian-U.S. intergovernmental agreement on the issue
The issue of international adoptions in Russia came back into focus recently when a 7-year-old boy was put on a plane alone back to Moscow with a note from his U.S. adoptive mother, who said he was "psychopathic."
The State Duma's committee on the issues of family, women and children said it did not support the request as "the head of the Russian government is not entitled to suspend adoptions of Russian children by foreign nationals."
Russia needs to amend its Family Code to freeze international adoptions. It can be done only through a special State Duma bill, or a presidential decree.
So far, Russian officials can only freeze licenses of foreign adoption agencies on its territory.
The request was submitted for discussion by the three Russian opposition parties currently in the State Duma - the Communists, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and the A Just Russia party.
A Russian foreign ministry official in charge of preparing a bilateral Russian-U.S. agreement on adoptions was invited to attend the discussion.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last month that Russia could freeze child adoptions by U.S. citizens until the two states sign an intergovernmental agreement on adoptions.
Key talks to discuss a draft agreement are planned in Moscow for May 12.
MOSCOW, May 7 (RIA Novosti)
