Russia supports international adoptions to US

The following is an excert from Moscownews.com:
Russia refuses to prohibit adoptions into the US19 Mar 2009, 12:11 PM Russian Parliament has refused to ban adoptions of its orphans by American nationals. The measure was suggested by a Communist MP, bitter about the December acquittal of a US father responsible for the death of his adopted son from Russia . Adoption into the US should be banned, even if temporarily, Nina Ostanina was quoted by Newsru.com website as telling the meeting of State Duma, the lower chamber of Russian Parliament. Between 1996 and 2008, 15 Russian children adopted by Americans died. In 14 cases through the fault of their new parents. At the same time, the US remains the largest adopter of Russian children; for instance, in 2007, 4,536 Russian children were adopted abroad, 3,468 of them into the United States . The projected bill was rejected by most MPs. Instead, a decision was made to develop a standard agreement between Russia and the adopting state, allowing to establish better control over the child’s life after the adoption. The issue of foreign adoptions stands sharp in Russia , where the number of orphans was estimated at 800,000 in October 2008. Of these children, 80 percent were so-called social orphans, rejected by their biological parents or taken from them by legal decision. But foreign help in this matter is regarded as controversial, especially in view of the recent case of American Miles Harrison, who was in December found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter of his 21-month-old adopted Russian son. Harrison left the child in his car unattended in hot weather, causing the child’s death from overheating. The acquittal was officially condemned by Russia ’s Foreign Ministry.