Members of Russia’s State Duma, the country’s legislative authority consisting of 450 members, adopted a bill Wednesday to ban the adoption of children from the Russian Federation by citizens in countries where gender reassignment is permitted, emphasizing the need to uphold “traditional values.” The bill was approved by an absolute majority of the State Duma members in the first reading, and will now become law.

Chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, who proposed the bill, discussed the rationale behind the bill:

This decision is aimed at protecting childhood and traditional values. The absolute majority of State Duma deputies supported the adoption of this initiative. It is necessary to protect our children from the threats they may face when they are adopted or under guardianship by citizens of foreign countries where gender reassignment is legal.

This adoption ban comes just a year after Russian lawmakers passed a law banning gender-affirming surgeries for transgender people in the country. The bill prohibited transgender individuals from receiving hormone therapy, making changes of gender on official Russian documentation, and barred any who have already transitioned from adopting children. It also annulled transgender individuals’ marriages.

Russia has previously been restrictive with adoptions. In 2012, a federal law was passed to prohibit the adoption of Russian children by US citizens and in 2023. Russian media outlet RBC (РБК) reported in June that a decrease in adoption from foreigners of 89 per cent was registered in 2023, with only six children adopted by foreign nationals, due to the restrictive nature of such legislation. According to the presidential commissioner for children’s rights report, it is expected that the adoption of Russian children by foreigners will completely cease because of diplomatic tension heightened by current events.