The State Duma Says "Nyet" to Moratorium

Blog - Russian Adoption Help

Blog - Russian Adoption Help

Fact and opinion about the state of International Adoptions in Russia.

The State Duma Says "Nyet" to Moratorium

On Wednesday, March 18, the State Duma (which is the lower house of the Russian parliament) spent most of its day discussing matters related to the adoption of Russian children by foreigners. At stake were two different initiatives with the same goal: to address the Russian outrage over the acquittal of Miles Harrison last December in the death of his Russian-adopted son, Chase.

The Russian authorities have long decried the difficulty they have in exerting "control" over the lives and upbringing of Russian children adopted by foreigners. Because these children remain Russian citizens, Russian authorities feel responsibility to their care and upbringing. The only mechanism they have to directly monitor the children's upbringing is by requiring post-placement reports to be sent by adopting families four times during the first three years following adoption. Many adoptive parents also sign agreements that ostensibly give the Russian consulate in their country the right to inquire about the adopted children, but in practice this can be trumped by national laws protecting the rights of citizens.

In Chase Harrison's case, the Russian officials complained of having no ability to exert any influence over the outcome of the case. Miles Harrison's acquittal was perceived by many in Russia as an injustice. The outcry was loud enough to compel Russian lawmakers to "do something."

Therefore, up for consideration in the State Duma were two petitions.

The first one, brought by Nina Ostanina, a long-time State Duma deputy from the Communist Party of Russia, sought to petition Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to impose a moratorium on adoptions of Russian children by Americans until Russia and the United States work out a bilateral treaty giving Russian authorities wider rights to intervene in cases of abuse and neglect. The purpose of this initiative, in Ostanina's own words, was to put pressure on U.S. authorities to enter such a treaty.

The United States Department of State, in reply to such calls for a bilateral treaty, has responded in the past by calling on Russia to instead ratify and implement the multi-lateral Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect to Intercountry Adoption. Rather than enter separate treaties with different countries, the United States has chosen to use the multilateral Hague Convention as its vehicle for ensuring that the rights of international adoptees are protected.

Ostanina's petition was defeated by the full State Duma in a vote that showed only 129 of the 450 deputies in support.

The State Duma Says "Nyet" to Moratorium

On Wednesday, March 18, the State Duma (which is the lower house of the Russian parliament) spent most of its day discussing matters related to the adoption of Russian children by foreigners. At stake were two different initiatives with the same goal: to address the Russian outrage over the acquittal of Miles Harrison last December in the death of his Russian-adopted son, Chase.

The Russian authorities have long decried the difficulty they have in exerting "control" over the lives and upbringing of Russian children adopted by foreigners. Because these children remain Russian citizens, Russian authorities feel responsibility to their care and upbringing. The only mechanism they have to directly monitor the children's upbringing is by requiring post-placement reports to be sent by adopting families four times during the first three years following adoption. Many adoptive parents also sign agreements that ostensibly give the Russian consulate in their country the right to inquire about the adopted children, but in practice this can be trumped by national laws protecting the rights of citizens.

In Chase Harrison's case, the Russian officials complained of having no ability to exert any influence over the outcome of the case. Miles Harrison's acquittal was perceived by many in Russia as an injustice. The outcry was loud enough to compel Russian lawmakers to "do something."

Therefore, up for consideration in the State Duma were two petitions.

The first one, brought by Nina Ostanina, a long-time State Duma deputy from the Communist Party of Russia, sought to petition Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to impose a moratorium on adoptions of Russian children by Americans until Russia and the United States work out a bilateral treaty giving Russian authorities wider rights to intervene in cases of abuse and neglect. The purpose of this initiative, in Ostanina's own words, was to put pressure on U.S. authorities to enter such a treaty.

The United States Department of State, in reply to such calls for a bilateral treaty, has responded in the past by calling on Russia to instead ratify and implement the multi-lateral Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect to Intercountry Adoption. Rather than enter separate treaties with different countries, the United States has chosen to use the multilateral Hague Convention as its vehicle for ensuring that the rights of international adoptees are protected.

Ostanina's petition was defeated by the full State Duma in a vote that showed only 129 of the 450 deputies in support.