Russia halts international adoptions to Sweden over same-sex marriage

MOSCOW — Russia has halted all adoptions to prospective parents in Sweden under a recently enacted law banning international adoptions to countries where same-sex marriage is legal.

Russia is seeking to sign agreements with individual countries to ensure that Russian children are not adopted by LGBT parents, reported The Local.

The Swedish Foreign Ministry has confirmed that no formal negotiations have begun, but a meeting Thursday at the Swedish Embassy in Moscow concerned an attempt to clarify what the new law means in practice.

Russian politician Vitaly Milonov meanwhile called homosexuals “perverts” in an interview Thursday with Swedish television network SVT, arguing that children would be better off staying in Russian orphanages.

“The perverts? No, it is unacceptable. Homosexuals are ‘perverts’ and should absolutely not be allowed to adopt children,” he said. “Children who grow up in that kind of environment are destroyed psychologically.”

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The gay adoption ban, signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin in July, aims to ensure a “harmonious and full upbringing for children in adoptive families,” the Kremlin said in a statement released at the time.

Last month, another Russian lawmaker proposed a law that would deny gay parents in Russia custody of their children.

Same-sex marriage in Sweden has been legal since May 1 2009.