Russian Lawmakers Endorse Bill To Ban Adoptions By Gender-transition Countries

Russia's upper house of parliament on Wednesday endorsed a bill banning adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender transitioning is legal.

The Federation Council also approved bills that outlaw the spread of material that encourages people not to have children .

The bills, which have previously been approved by the lower house, will now go to President Vladimir Putin for signing into law. They follow a series of laws that have suppressed sexual minorities and bolstered longstanding conventional values.

The lower house speaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, who was among the new bill's authors, has noted that "it is extremely important to eliminate possible dangers in the form of gender reassignment that adopted children may face in these countries."

The adoption ban would apply to at least 15 countries, most of them in Europe but including Australia, Argentina and Canada. Adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens was banned in 2012.