About 100 people, including experts on childhood trauma, signed an open letter to the president that was posted on line, The Moscow Times reported Thursday. They argued that in many cases prospective adoptees have already formed a bond to the couples who have applied to adopt them.
"Even though the media lately have the opinion that a child's mind is 'flexible' and can easily cope with severe emotional trauma, our expertise and knowledge shows otherwise," the letter said. "The repeated disruption of emotional relationships, especially in children, can lead to severe attachment disorder and other psychiatric disorders."
Russia banned U.S. adoptions as of Jan. 1, although it set a later deadline for adoptions in process. While the law was named after a Russian boy who died of heat exhaustion in the United States when he was accidentally locked in a car by his adoptive father, it was widely seen as retaliation for a U.S. law aimed at penalizing Russian human rights violators.
A Putin spokesman said the president cannot judge the authenticity of the doctors' letter, since it was published on line, RIA Novosti reported.