Support The Moscow Times!

Russia Cuts Back HIV Adoption Ban

Moskva News Agency

A top court has scrapped Russia’s de-facto ban on allowing people who live with HIV to adopt children.

The changes were anticipated this summer as part of a broader state strategy to combat the epidemic and reduce stigma. Russia’s strategy to eradicate HIV focuses on working with at-risk groups, spreading awareness and fighting discrimination.

Russia’s Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that preventing HIV-positive families from adopting children who already live with them is unconstitutional.

The unilateral ruling cited a previous court resolution from 2015 along with a UN and International Organization for Migration (IOM) argument that HIV/AIDS does not pose a threat because it “cannot be transmitted by the mere presence of a person with HIV.”

Pavel Chikov, head of the AGORA human rights organization, called the ruling a “serious step toward lowering discrimination” but noted that it stops short of scrapping adoption for HIV positive people in its entirety.

“The Constitutional Court didn’t have the guts to allow these people to adopt from children’s homes,” Chikov wrote on his Telegram channel.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more