Russia will ban foreign same-sex couples from adopting Russian children, an official said on Saturday, underscoring a growing rift with the West over gay rights under President Vladimir Putin.
Putin said in April that a French law allowing same-sex marriage went against traditional Russian values and signaled that Moscow would take steps to ensure gay couples from abroad did not adopt Russian orphans.
An amendment restricting foreign adoptions to "traditional" families will be submitted to parliament in its autumn session by the government, said Alexei Levchenko, a spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets.
Russian legislation sets several requirements for adoptive parents from abroad, such as sufficient income and a clean criminal record. But it does not mention sexual orientation or address the issue of same-sex couples.
(Reuters)
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