Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill that allows Russians living with HIV and other diseases to legally adopt children in their care.
The changes were anticipated as part of Russia’s broader state strategy to combat the epidemic that has led to the deaths of 318,000 Russians in three decades. Russia’s 2016 strategy to fight the spread of HIV includes working with at-risk groups, spreading awareness and fighting discrimination.
The law, which aims to allow people living with HIV, hepatitis С, tuberculosis and other diseases to adopt children “in already established family relations,” appeared on the government’s legal portal dated Wednesday.
The legislation passed its third and final reading in Russia’s State Duma on May 21 and the upper-house Federation Council May 22.
Russia’s Constitutional Court ruled last year that preventing HIV-positive families from adopting children who already live with them was unconstitutional.
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