Putin Signs Foreign Gay Adoption Ban

President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill that bans foreign married same-sex couples from adopting Russian children.

The new law prohibits adoption by same-sex foreign couples whose homeland recognizes their union as marriage, as well as by single people or unmarried couples from those countries. A Kremlin statement said the measure is intended to guarantee children a “harmonious” upbringing and protect them from “complexes, emotional suffering and stress.” The bill signed Wednesday is the latest move by Russia to buck the Western trend toward greater acceptance of homosexuality. On Sunday, Putin approved a ban on giving children any information about gays.

Russia, which has an estimated 600,000 children living in orphanages, already bans all adoptions by Americans.