Reports: Spain to Sign Accord With Russia Barring Gays From Adopting

Spain will sign an accord with Russia to ban same-sex couples from adopting Russian children, according to reports.

The move allows straight Spanish couples access to children who otherwise would have been off limits, thanks to Russia's discriminatory adoption policy that prevents same-sex couples from adopting Russian children. The accord will be signed in January. The blog Blabbeando offers this translated report from an article in Spain's El Pais:

The agreement would open up the possibility for Spanish heterosexual couples to adopt Russian children once again as long as Spain makes a commitment to keep Russian children from being adopted by same-sex couples. From the article:

The government has authorized the international accord on adoptions between Spain and Russia -- pending since 2009 -- during a meeting that took place on December 20th at the Council of Ministers.

The announcement was made by Vice President Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, who said the accord was adopted at a meeting between Spanish and Russian authorities that took place on October 3rd in Madrid.

Last August the Russian Supreme Court ... ordered a hold on any proceedings with countries that allow gay marriage until there was a bilateral accord guaranteeing the children would not be raised by homosexuals including in the case of orphans.

Since then 500 Spanish families have been affected and, as a result, negotiations between Madrid and Moscow had intensified. "We would like to renew these adoptions," said Santamaria.

Governmental sources tell the paper that the accord will be signed in January and might go into effect by April after Russian authorities had a chance to process the paperwork. In cases [where] the adopted children are abandoned in Spain or lose their Spanish parents Russia also requires Spain to report where they have been relocated to make sure that even in those circumstances the Russian child does not end up being raised by a Spanish same-sex couple.

So far Italy is the only other country to have signed such a unilateral deal with Russia, but a Voice of Russiareport says the United Kingdom and Israel are considering similar moves.

Contact reporter Alex Davidson on Twitter at twitter.com/adwildcat