The upper chamber of Russia's parliament has voted unanimously for a bill that would ban the adoption of Russian children by Americans.
The ban, which is woven with political tit-for-tat rancor, reminds me a bit of the Vatican's hoity-toity stance on abortion: We claim the high moral ground, but disclaim all but a token concrete responsibility for the fallout.
Russia cannot or will not adequately care for its orphans -- and in this are probably not significantly different from any other country -- but they'll be damned if they'll give the kids an opportunity for something better among those devilish Americans.
Russian President Vladimir Putin may or may not sign the bill. I can imagine he won't (the unkindness is pretty glaring), but I can also imagine that he will put a political price on his veto ... what'll you give me in exchange for my kindness to children?
And politicians wonder why they make their constituencies want to puke.
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