Russian president Vladimir Putin
signed a law today banning the adoption of children by same-sex couples
as part of an increasingly conservative agenda the Kremlin is pursuing
since his return to power.
Earlier this week, Mr
Putin signed another law banning gay “propaganda”, which human rights
groups say has fuelled hate crimes against homosexuals.
Mr
Putin, who has embraced the Russian Orthodox Church as a moral
authority and harnessed its influence as a source of political support,
has championed socially conservative values since starting a new,
six-year term in May 2012.
The latest law aims to protect children from
“dictated non-traditional sexual behaviour” and rid them of “distresses
of soul and stresses, which according to psychologists’ research, are
often experienced by children raised by same-sex parents”, according to a
fact sheet on the Kremlin’s website.
The 60-year-old president denies there is discrimination against gays.
Homosexuality was decriminalised after the collapse of the Soviet Union
in 1991, but a recent poll by the independent Levada Centre found 38
per cent of Russians believe gay people need treatment and 13 per cent
said they should face prosecution.
Gay rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev
said of the new law: “I think it will lead to an increase in corruption
in the [adoption] process, but many foreigners, including homosexuals,
will still be able to adopt Russian children in the future.”
Foreign adoptions in Russia are largely run by agencies which act as go-betweens for state institutions and adopting families.