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Complete ban on foreign adoptions of Russian children premature - Fedotov

“First the legislators will have to cancel Article 124 of the Family Code, which establishes a certain hierarchy of adoption priorities,” Fedotov told

MOSCOW, January 12 (Itar-Tass) – The chairman of the presidential council for the promotion of civil society and human rights, Mikhail Fedotov, believes that introducing the full ban on foreign adoptions of Russian children would be premature.

“First the legislators will have to cancel Article 124 of the Family Code, which establishes a certain hierarchy of adoption priorities,” Fedotov told Itar-Tass on Friday.

“The Family Code envisages four possibilities. Number one priority – the most preferable one – is adoption by relatives. Next, there is adoption by a Russian family. Adoption by a foreign family comes third. A child care institution is fourth,” Fedotov recalled. “Nobody ever starts building a house with the third storey. It will be possible to outlaw foreign adoptions only when children stop getting into our orphanages.”

Earlier, State Duma member Yevgeny Fyodorov, of the United Russia party, told Itar-Tass the State Duma would soon consider a complete ban on foreign adoptions of Russian children. The countries that have concluded corresponding agreements with Russia – Italy and France – may be the sole exceptions.

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