Bachmann, Bass Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Russian Ban on American Adoptions

Press Release

Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCA) House Co-Chairs Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (MN-06) and Congresswoman Karen Bass (CA-37) introduced House Resolution (H.RES) 24, a bipartisan resolution condemning the Russian Federation's recent decision to ban the adoption of Russian children by American families.

A similar bipartisan resolution introduced by Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) unanimously passed the Senate on January 2, 2013.

"There are over 700,000 children in Russia living without parental care, and for the past two decades, Americans have been a leading force for finding these orphans forever families within our borders," said Bachmann. "I urge President Putin to stop placing politics before the needs of children in his country and re-open inter-country adoptions by U.S. citizens."

"The politically motivated actions of President Putin are deeply disturbing and have put the welfare of innocent children in jeopardy," Bass said. "Denying children the opportunity to grow up in a loving home, with parents to care for them is not the right action to take and I urge President Putin to reconsider his position."

"Using these defenseless children as political pawns is outrageous, and frankly, this is not behavior that is worthy of the credit we just gave the Russians when we granted them Permanent Normal Trade Relations last month," said Blunt. "Our first priority must be to bring the children who are already matched with their new families to America as soon as possible. While I'm encouraged by recent reports that the Russians are delaying their adoption ban for one year, I hope President Putin will ultimately agree not to enforce this terrible law."

"Whatever issues our two governments may be facing, there is no reason to put vulnerable children in the middle of political posturing. Children should be raised by parents, not in orphanages, institutions or alone on the street. Adoption, both domestic and international, is an important child protection tool and an integral part of child welfare best practices around the world, along with prevention of abandonment and family reunification. While some of our citizens will be directly affected by this law, it is not so much an injury to the U.S., it's an injury to Russia's own children," said Landrieu.

Click here to view the complete text of H. Res. 24.

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