On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the "Dima Yakovlev" law banning Americans from adopting Russian orphans. The law was in retaliation for the "Magnitsky Act," signed into law by President Obama on December 14, which imposed sanctions on Russian human rights violators.
This um... infantile response by Putin was not only criticized in America (where families that had adoptions in the pipeline saw the process stopped), but also in Russia by advocates of adoption:
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs Olga Golodets says that putting the ban into effect would not only violate Russian federal law, but also international law and a 2011 agreement that the U.S. and Russia put into place regarding adoption. At present, Americans adopt more orphans from Russian than they do any other country.Putin tried to throw a bone to his Russian critics by ordering reforms of the woeful Russian orphanage system. But, what of those families who only wanted a new, better life for these children? For Putin, obviously, it's more important to respond to a perceived insult than it is to act in a humane, civilized manner.
