“Why don’t Russian deputies trust me?”

The State Duma adopted a law prohibiting US citizens from adopting children from Russia

I adopted a girl from Russia 10 years ago. I have nothing to reproach - ask the neighbors.

My daughter's name is Italian Francesca, and I myself am German. She was 14 months old when we started living together, and I was 50 years old. And I wasn't married. In America, I was helped to choose a child in Russia by a special agency (it has already closed, unfortunately) - on the one hand, it checked the fulfillment of all international requirements, and on the other, it supported me emotionally and with practical advice. In addition, I had to prove my parental "suitability" to the social services of the state of Maryland, where I was going to bring the child. The state did its own criminal due diligence, made sure I was financially sound (I am a pathologist) and that the child would have proper housing, access to educational facilities, etc.

I wanted to adopt a child for a long time, but my lack of American citizenship prevented me from starting this process. As the agency explained to me, a citizen has much more chances for a successful adoption than a green card holder. And then my age and lack of family played against me. But I won! And I did it! Since 2004, the adoption of children from Russia by single parents has become almost impossible.

In Francesca's medical record, made in Russia, it appeared that the child had slow development and speech, but upon examination upon arrival in America, it turned out that the girl was developing normally. Today my baby speaks English and German. Francesca does not like it when people talk bad about Russia, and she is a fan of the Russian football team - however, only if it does not play against the German one.

I took the child from Russia because my friend from Detroit did the same - Linea brought seven-month-old Katrina from Yekaterinburg in 1993. Katrina's medical record stated that she had suffered a neurological injury and she had reduced motor skills. According to Linea, Katrina was severely malnourished and took more than a year to undergo physical therapy and recovery. But Linea was not required to report to the agency and the Russian embassy, ​​as is still required of me and should have been required until Francesca is 18 years old.

Katrina always knew that she was an adopted daughter and always wanted to track down her biological mother. But after the closure in 2010 of the agency, which I mentioned at the beginning, any connection with Russia ceased and it became incredibly difficult to search for one's roots. And now, as the neighbors have just explained to me, it will become completely impossible.

I'm not going to adopt or adopt anyone else. But I have a feeling that the Russian deputies do not trust me and people like me. I want to ask them why? Who gave them such a right?