Russia mulls foreign same-sex couple adoption ban

MOSCOW – The head of a Russian parliamentary committee says the legislature is ready to prevent adoptions by foreign same-sex couples.

In the wake of France's legalization of same-sex marriage this week, President Vladimir Putin said he supported moves to block such couples from adopting Russian children.

Elena Mizulina, the family committee chairwoman in the lower house of parliament, was quoted as saying Saturday by the Interfax news agency that "we support the president on this matter and are ready to carry out the relevant changes in the law."

Russia last year banned adoptions by Americans, a retaliatory move for a U.S. law imposing sanctions on Russians deemed human-rights violators. The measure sailed through parliament with only a handful of dissenting votes.