Q&A on Russian-U.S. adoption pact

MOSCOW -- Russia's parliament ratified yesterday a long-awaited agreement with the United States regulating the adoption of Russian children by Americans.

The ratification by a 244-96-2 vote in the State Duma came a year after the two countries worked out the pact. Key questions about the agreement:

HOW DID IT COME ABOUT?

Russian officials had long complained about instances of abuse and even killings of children by their adoptive parents -- saying at least 19 Russian children have died at their American parents' hands. The issue came to a head in April 2010 when an American mother sent her 7-year-old boy back to Russia on a one-way ticket, saying he had behavioral problems. Some Russian officials called then for adoptions by Americans to be halted altogether. That did not happen, but some adoption agencies working in Russia said their applications were frozen for several months.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR AMERICANS WHO WANT TO ADOPT RUSSIAN CHILDREN?

Ratification should end the strife and allow adoptions to resume efficiently. All adoptions would have to be processed through agencies registered in Russia. The agreement requires the agencies to monitor the child's upbringing, schedule visits by a social worker and send reports to Russian authorities. The deal makes sure that prospective American parents would have better information about the social and medical histories of Russian children.

HOW WILL IT

IMPACT RUSSIA?

By providing monitoring, the agreement is likely to reassure a public angered by the reports of abuse and deaths. It also could undercut complaints by nationalists that Russian children are being "sold." The poorly controlled flow of Russian adoptions highlighted sensitivity over the loss of children as Russia faces a demographic crisis of low birthrates.

Full resumption of adoptions will mean increased opportunity for Russian orphans to leave underfunded and crowded orphanages. More than 740,000 children are without parental custody in Russia, according to UNICEF. Russians historically have been less inclined to adopt children than in many other cultures.